2 Corinthians 1:1-11 Affliction and Prayer
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: April 10, 2020 2 Corinthians 1:1-11
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
(Understanding the Text) Paul is writing to the Corinthians with Timothy. This is because Timothy is now the friend of the Corinthians. Paul sent Timothy with his first letter to the Corinthians so that they might have a counselor who could guide them through the process of repentance and growth. Timothy has become dear to them also.
Paul is always conscious that he is an apostle because of his experience on the road to Damascus where he was stopped in his tracks by the risen Jesus. Paul had thought that he knew God’s will, but instead he discovered that he had been fighting against God’s will. This knowledge had the effect of keeping him humble while paradoxically giving him confidence. God had chosen Paul in a special way to do a special job, so the grateful Paul is not going to neglect that job.
(Revelation of God) Paul starts out praising God the Father and our Lord Jesus. He praises God as the God of mercies and comfort. This is the theme of this first section: comfort. Paul says that we are afflicted. Paul does not minimize the magnitude of the problems. Instead, he gives two pieces of comfort. First of all, God is with us in our afflictions comforting us. Paul says that this comfort is worth the afflictions because it brings us closer to God, and we trust Him more. Second, Paul says that being in affliction and receiving the comfort of God enables us to better comfort other people who are in affliction. By having been in a place that they are presently experiencing, we can draw closer to these people, and since we know where our comfort came from, we can offer them the same comfort with confidence.
(Understanding the Text) Paul then refers to a danger/affliction that he and maybe others with him faced in Asia. The Corinthians know what it was, but I don’t. When I consulted the commentaries, they did not have any definitive answers either. Anyway, Paul says to them that it drove him to depend totally on God and to trust Him to take Paul through the experience. In fact, it seems that Paul is presently in danger also.
Paul tells the Corinthians to pray for him. “You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.” Paul says that he would receive blessings through the prayers of many. He says that prayer helps him and the people with him. He is thankful for the prayers that others have for him. Paul viewed prayer as a help in the times of peril. There is some kind of blessing that happens when many pray for another person, but I still don’t understand it.
(Application / Prayer) My application to myself is to pray for others always. Teach me to pray as I should. I know that I have not even scratched the surface of the blessings and necessities of communicating with You. I want to have a deeper connection with You.