“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” 2 Corinthians 4:8–9

Friends, it is no secret that in the struggles of life, we are sometimes knocked down with multiple challenges that make us feel like we are totally destroyed.

We often don’t see it coming or never expect it to happen. Sometimes, it comes in a form of a health crisis or loss of a loved one, an employment shake-up or betrayal, or maybe some form of persecution. Perhaps it’s something you may be aware of or something you thought was trivial or temporary, but surprisingly by the look of things, it seems it has rather come to stay with you. A typical example is what the world is experiencing now, the COVID-19 and its associated events and or consequences which has taken the world by surprise.

Dear, life at times takes a hard slope, and the effect is tantamount to being thrown face down to the ground. The circumstance can be devastating, the pain excruciating and during such times, no matter how hard you might have tried, in that moment it is difficult to grab hold of any semblance of joy or hope.

From our main text, the Apostle Paul expressed it thus; “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9). For the sake of Christ, we rejoice that we are not crushed, despairing, forsaken, or destroyed. The same is true for the other words, we may find ourselves afflicted in every way or perplexed or persecuted, and or struck down, but for the sake of Jesus Christ, He will not allow us to be destroyed by what we see.

Beloved, there is salvation, deliverance, protection and security in Jesus Christ. Be rest assured that, the Lord of host himself is with us and He is our refugee. Whatever we encounter or experience or see in this life like what Moses answered the people in (Exodus‬ ‭14:13-14)‬ ‭NIV says,‬‬ “..., “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still”.‬‬‬‬‬‬

Please note: no matter the challenges you face, always remember that God is too faithful to fail us. Amen!