Despairing Even of Life:

Trusting God in the Depths of Affliction

Sermon 1 of 7 in the series: Prisoners of Hope: Trusting God When Life Hurts

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.”

The Apostle Paul, the most influential missionary in church history, a man of unwavering faith and perseverance, openly confesses here that he was “pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life.” This is not a casual statement. The Greek word for despaired (ἐξαπορέομαι, exaporeō) means to be utterly without a way out, completely at a loss, to feel trapped with no escape.

• This is deep affliction.
• This is the kind of suffering that pushes a person to the very brink.
• This is the kind of affliction that pushes a person to the edge where life itself feels like it is slipping away.

This is the inspired Word of God – Paul is not exaggerating here. He is describing a moment in which he and his companions believed they were going to die.

And yet, what do we see in this passage? That God had a purpose even in this depth of suffering—to strip Paul of all self-reliance and teach him to trust only in “God which raiseth the dead” (v.9).

This passage is not just about suffering; it is about where we place our trust in suffering. Paul’s affliction serves as a lesson for us: When we reach the end of our rope, the end of our strength, we discover the sufficiency of God’s power.

Let’s examine four key truths from this passage that will help us understand how we, as believers, are to respond when we find ourselves despairing even of life.

• The Weight of Suffering
• The Purpose of Suffering
• The Power of Deliverance
• The Role of Prayer

Now let’s look at our first truth…

THE WEIGHT OF SUFFERING: “Pressed Out of Measure, Above Strength”

Have you ever been in a place where you felt like you just couldn’t take it anymore?

Not just a rough day. Not just stress. I mean the kind of burden that presses you down so hard that you don’t know if you’re going to make it.

You feel like you can’t breathe under the weight of it. You’re exhausted, discouraged, maybe even questioning how you’re going to go on.

That is exactly where the Apostle Paul found himself in 2 Corinthians 1:8. Look again at his words:

“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life.” (2 Corinthians 1:8)

Paul is saying, “I need you to know what we went through. This wasn’t just a tough time. This wasn’t just opposition. We were pressed beyond our limits—far beyond our own ability to endure.” And remember this is the inspired Word of God, this isn’t complaining – this is written for our edification, for our encouragement.

The Greek phrase Paul uses—“huper dynamin”—literally means beyond strength, beyond what any human can handle. This wasn’t suffering that he could just power through. This wasn’t the kind of trial you can push past with a little grit and determination. No—this was too much – way too much – beyond too much.

Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1:8 are among the most raw and transparent expressions of human suffering in all of Scripture.

He says, “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life.” You can hear the despair, the desperation even in what he is saying.

Paul is not being dramatic. He is not overstating his case. This is real suffering. The kind of suffering that crushes the soul.

Remember, the phrase “pressed out of measure, above strength” (Greek: huper dynamin) literally means “beyond our ability to endure.” This is not just a hard season. It is more than that.

This is the kind of suffering that steals your breath, that makes you wonder if you can even go on another day – if you can even get through the next moment.

There is a false belief in modern Christianity—one that very well-meaning people repeat in moments of crisis, and I’ve even repeated it—that “God will never give you more than you can handle.” That is not true, though; stay with me.

Turn with me now to I Corinthians 10:13

Paul’s own words here directly refute it. God absolutely allows His people to face suffering greater than they can bear on their own. The weight of suffering is real, and sometimes, it is more than human strength can withstand. I’ve experienced those moments. But God does not leave us there.

God provides a way of escape. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, we read, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

This verse does not mean that life’s trials will always be within the limits of human endurance; rather, it assures us that God will always provide a way through them, often by drawing us closer to Him.

If God only allowed what we could handle on our own, there would be no need for faith, no reason to rely on Him. The Christian life is not about self-sufficiency but about total dependence on God.

As Paul testified, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). When we come to the end of our strength, that is when God’s power is most evident in our lives.

Difficulties that surpass human capability are divinely designed opportunities for us to trust in the Lord, to lean not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6), and to witness His deliverance.

Our trials drive us to prayer, to reliance on His Word, and to the community of believers. Instead of clinging to the false hope that we can manage everything, we should rest in the assurance that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

Paul’s Suffering

Whether it was persecution, sickness, or both, Paul reached the end of his strength. He despaired even of life itself. The mighty apostle, the man who preached with boldness in the face of opposition, the man who had seen the risen Christ, found himself so burdened that he thought he could not go on.

And he is not alone in that experience…

This is a Common Experience of God’s Servants

Paul is not the first or the last of God’s people to be pressed beyond human endurance. Many of God’s greatest servants have walked through this valley before.

Consider Elijah in 1 Kings 19.

• In 1 Kings 18, Elijah had just witnessed one of the greatest victories in biblical history. He had confronted the prophets of Baal, called down fire from heaven, and seen the people fall on their faces, declaring, “The Lord, He is the God!”
• And yet, in 1 Kings 19:4, after hearing Jezebel’s threats, Elijah fled into the wilderness, sat under a juniper tree, and begged God to take his life. He said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life.”

How does this happen? How does a man go from calling fire from heaven to asking for death?

The answer is simple: suffering, burdens, and worry can crush even the strongest among us.

• Even the most faithful servants of God can be crushed by a trial.
• Even those who have seen great victories can still experience deep despair.
• Even those who walk closely with God can feel as though they are completely alone.

But here is the hope: God does not abandon His servants in their suffering.

What We See Here Is a Call to Trust

Maybe today, you feel like Paul. Maybe you feel like Elijah. I know I have felt that way; I’ve been there before. Maybe the weight of suffering is pressing down on you, and you think you just cannot go on.

Know this: God has not abandoned you. He has not forgotten you. The weight of suffering is great, but the power of God is greater.

Paul did not trust in himself—he trusted in the God who raises the dead. That same God is with you today. And He will not let you be crushed.

Paul thought he was going to die. Look at the last part of 2 Corinthians 1:8 again: “insomuch that we despaired even of life.”

Paul was at the end of himself. He had nothing left. He felt like it was over.

Have you ever been so weighed down by suffering that you felt like you had no way out? Know if you feel that way or have ever felt that way – You’re not alone.

What do we learn from Paul? What do we learn from Elijah?

• Even the strongest believers can be brought low.
  If Paul, the great apostle, felt like he couldn’t go on… if Elijah, the mighty prophet, wanted to give up… then we shouldn’t be surprised when we feel the same way.
• Victory doesn’t make us immune to suffering.
  Elijah had just experienced a huge spiritual victory, but that didn’t stop him from facing deep despair afterward. Sometimes, our lowest moments come right after our highest spiritual experiences.
• God does not abandon us in our suffering.
  Paul thought he was going to die, but God sustained him. Elijah wanted to die, but God met him in his weakness. God doesn’t leave us in our darkest moments—He carries us through them.

So if you’re in a season where you feel pressed out of measure, above strength, you are not alone. Paul has been there. Elijah has been there. And if you lean into God in this moment, you will find what they found—a strength beyond your own.

NEXT, THE PURPOSE OF SUFFERING: “That We Should Not Trust in Ourselves”

God has a purpose in our suffering. Paul does not stop at his suffering—he points to the purpose behind it. In 2 Corinthians 1:9, he explains, “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves,[Why?] that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.”

Paul’s suffering had a purpose. It was designed to strip away his self-reliance and drive him to trust in God alone.

And that is what God does in our suffering.

• When we are pressed beyond our own strength, God is showing us that our strength was never enough in the first place.
• When we are burdened beyond measure, He is leading us to rest in His limitless grace.
• When we despair even of life, He is drawing us to the reality that He alone holds the power over life and death.

Elijah thought he was alone, but God met him in the wilderness. Paul thought he would not survive, but God delivered him.

God’s power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and His grace is sufficient for every trial.

Paul doesn’t just say he was in trouble. He doesn’t just say things were difficult. He says he had the sentence of death in himself.

The Greek word here—ἀπόκριμα τοῦ θανάτου (apokrima tou thanatou)—literally refers to a judicial verdict, a final ruling, an inescapable judgment. It’s as if Paul is saying, “It was over. I saw no way out. My strength was gone. I had nothing left.”

Have You Ever Been There?

Maybe you’ve been in a place where you felt like Paul did:

• where every option seemed exhausted,
• where every door seemed closed,
• where every ounce of strength was spent,
• and where there was no way forward.

Paul reached a breaking point. He had no confidence left in himself. He had no backup plan, no escape route, no strength to fight his way out. But that’s the point.

God was teaching him something that every one of us must learn:

• We are not strong enough—but God is.
• We are not wise enough—but God is.
• We are not powerful enough—but God is.

Paul says this happened “that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.”

This brings us to a powerful truth that can be hard to learn…

God Uses Suffering to Kill Self-Reliance

I know that’s a strong statement, but it’s true. We don’t like to admit it, but we all have a tendency to trust in ourselves. We rely on our own wisdom, our own resources, our own abilities—until suffering strips them all away, until things come crashing down.

And when that happens—when everything we were clinging to is gone—we realize that God is all we have.

And here’s what Paul learned: When God is all you have, you discover a most precious truth: that God is all you need.

Consider the Contrast in Paul’s Experience

• Paul had the sentence of death—but he trusted in the God who raises the dead.
• Paul had no strength left—but he relied on the One whose power has no limits.
• Paul had no way out—but he trusted in the Waymaker, the One who makes a way where there is no way.

God was leading Paul to a place of total dependence. And if we’re honest, that’s exactly what suffering does in our lives, too.

What if the suffering you are facing right now isn’t a sign that God has abandoned you – but rather a sign that He is leading you to trust Him more deeply than ever before?

What if your struggle is God’s way of prying your fingers off self-reliance so that you can experience the power of total dependence?

Because here’s the truth:

• When you have no strength left, that’s when you see His strength most clearly.
• When you have no answers, that’s when you hear His voice most clearly.
• When you have no way forward, that’s when He makes a way where there is no way.

It may be a painful process or journey to get you to that point. But God wants our total dependence – to get rid of our plans and replace them with His plans.

This is what God was doing in Paul’s life. And this is what He does in our lives, too.

The purpose of suffering is not to destroy us. It is to destroy our self-reliance. Because when our trust is fully in Him, that’s when we experience His resurrection power in our lives.

Now to key truth #3 of our passage…

THE POWER OF DELIVERANCE: “Who Delivered Us… and Doth Deliver”

Look at Paul’s Confidence in Verse 10 “Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.” (2 Corinthians 1:10)

Do you see the threefold deliverance here? Do you feel the weight of this verse? Paul is looking at the full scope of God’s faithfulness—past, present, and future—and he is anchoring his confidence in God alone.

Let’s look at that threefold deliverance:

• “Who delivered us” – Paul looks back and sees the unmistakable faithfulness of God.
• “And doth deliver” – Paul trusts that, even in the chaos of the present, God is sustaining him.
• “He will yet deliver us” – Paul has unshakable confidence that God’s faithfulness will extend into the future.

Paul is not throwing out empty words. This is not vague optimism or wishful thinking. This is not “hoping for the best.” This is certainty. Paul is building his confidence on something unshakable: the character of God.

God’s Past Faithfulness Guarantees His Future Faithfulness

This is the foundation of our hope, and we can make a logical and truthful assumption here. God has always been faithful, therefore He will always be faithful. It is His nature. It is who He is.

Paul is looking at his life and saying, I should not be here right now. By all human calculations, I should be dead. But I am not—because God is faithful. And if He was faithful then, He will be faithful now. And if He is faithful now, He will be faithful forever.

Do you see how rock-solid this is?

• This is not confidence in circumstances.
• This is not confidence in people.
• This is not confidence in human strength.

This is confidence in the living God who raises the dead!

This is the Pattern of God’s Faithfulness Throughout Scripture

We see it again and again in the lives of those who have gone before us.

Think about Elijah again

• He was running for his life.
• He was exhausted.
• He was alone.
• He was so burdened with despair that he cried out, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life” (1 Kings 19:4).

But what did God do?

• God fed him.
• God strengthened him.
• God met him not with fire or earthquake, but with a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12).
• God was gentle with him.
• And then God sent him back into ministry.

Elijah thought his life was over, but praise God! God was not done with him. Elijah’s despair was swallowed up by the sovereign faithfulness of God.

Think about Paul

Paul is writing these words because he has lived them. This is not abstract theology. This is survival.

• He thought he would die.
• He saw no way out.
• He had the “sentence of death” in himself (2 Corinthians 1:9).

But God delivered him. And not just once. Again and again and again.

And now, centuries later, these very words that Paul wrote in his suffering are still encouraging and strengthening the church. That’s faithfulness.

Now, What About You?

What about your life? Have you seen God’s faithfulness in the past? Have you seen His hand at work?

Because here’s what Paul is saying: That faithfulness is not just past tense. It is present. It is future.

• The same God who delivered Elijah will deliver you.
• The same God who delivered Paul will deliver you.
• The same God who raised Jesus from the dead is your God too.

So, when suffering comes, when despair creeps in, when you cannot see a way forward—look back. Look at the faithfulness of God. Remember what He has done. And then let that remembrance become confidence.

With God, past faithfulness guarantees future faithfulness. That is the bedrock of our hope. That is why we trust Him.

Now onto our final truth…

THE ROLE OF INTERCESSORY PRAYER: “Ye Also Helping Together by Prayer”

Look at what Paul says in verse 11,“Ye also helping together by prayer for us.” (2 Corinthians 1:11)

Paul—this bold, fearless, world-changing apostle—stops and says to the church in Corinth, “We need you. We need your prayers. We cannot do this alone.”

Now, let’s just pause and think about that for a second.

This is Paul we’re talking about. The man who survived shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, and riots. The man who boldly stood before rulers, preached in hostile cities, and planted churches all over the Roman world. If anyone had a reason to think, “I’ve got this,” it was Paul.

But he doesn’t. Instead, he turns to the church and says, “Help us. Pray for us.”

This tells us something huge: Paul believed in the power of prayer.

• He did not see it as an afterthought.
• He did not view it as a religious formality.
• He saw it as a real, active, essential part of God’s work in the world.

What Does Paul Mean by “Helping Together by Prayer”?

The Greek word Paul uses for helping together is συνυπουργοῦντων (sunupourgountōn). It’s a compound word that literally means “joining hands in labor.”

Think about that image for a second.

Paul is saying that prayer isn’t just a private conversation with God—it’s a way of partnering with others in the work of God. It’s joining hands, linking arms, stepping into the fight together.

• Prayer is not a formality. It’s not just a nice thing Christians do. It is a means by which God accomplishes His will.
• God is sovereign, but He uses the prayers of His people as a tool for deliverance.

Now, I know what some of you may be thinking: “But if God is sovereign, why do we need to pray? Doesn’t He already know what’s going to happen?”

• Yes, God is sovereign.
• Yes, He knows the end from the beginning.

But here’s the incredible truth: God chooses to work through the prayers of His people.

• Could God accomplish His purposes without our prayers? Of course.
• Does God need our prayers? No.
• But does God choose to use our prayers as a part of His divine plan? Absolutely.

That’s exactly what Paul is saying here.

Think about this: Paul, who has seen God raise the dead (verse 9), is still pleading for the prayers of the saints. Why? Because he knows that God’s deliverance often comes through the intercessions of His people.

This should change the way we think about prayer.

Let’s Consider the Reason We Don’t Pray

Let’s be honest. Many of us struggle with prayer—not because we don’t want to pray, but because deep down, we underestimate its power.

• We say we believe in prayer, but we don’t actually pray.
• We talk about the importance of prayer, but when trouble comes, we turn to Google, to our bank accounts, to our own strength—before we turn to God.
• We tell people, “I’ll be praying for you,” but if we’re honest, how often do we… actually do that?

Could it be that we have reduced prayer to a ritual instead of seeing it as a real, supernatural partnership with God?

Paul didn’t make that mistake. He knew better.

Notice Paul’s Confidence in the Prayers of the Saints

Paul knew that his survival, his endurance, his perseverance were linked to the prayers of the church.

• When Paul was in prison, the church prayed—and God sent an earthquake to set him free (Acts 16:25-26).
• When Peter was about to be executed, the church prayed—and an angel showed up and led him out (Acts 12:5-7).
• When Elijah prayed, God sent fire from Heaven (1 Kings 18:37-38).

The prayers of God’s people can literally move the hand of God.

• Now, does that mean we can manipulate God? No.
• Does it mean we always get what we want? No.

But it does mean that God, in His sovereignty, has chosen to work through the prayers of His people.

What About You?

Paul’s words should shake us up a little.

• When was the last time you truly leaned on prayer?
• When was the last time you gathered with others and linked arms in real intercession?
• When was the last time you saw prayer not as a duty, but as a weapon, a tool, a means of divine partnership?

If Paul—the apostle Paul—needed prayer, how much more do we?

So Here’s the Challenge

• Stop underestimating prayer. It is not passive—it is active. It is not weak—it is powerful.
• Start praying with expectation. God may not always answer the way we want, but He is always working through the prayers of His people.
• Don’t just say you’ll pray—actually pray. When a friend asks for prayer, don’t wait. Stop and pray right then.

God moves through prayer. He delivers through prayer. He strengthens through prayer.

Paul knew it. Elijah knew it. The early church knew it.

The only question is—do we?

CONCLUSION

Paul was a man who had seen the power of God firsthand. He had been caught up into the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2). He had performed miracles. He had planted churches. He had boldly stood before kings and governors. But none of that prevented him from experiencing the darkest depths of suffering.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:8, “We were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life.”

• This is Paul desperate.
• This is Paul at the breaking point.
• This is Paul without strength, without hope, without a way forward.

But that’s exactly where God wanted him. Paul tells us in verse 9 why this suffering came: “That we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.”

This trial wasn’t meaningless. It wasn’t random. It wasn’t a mistake. God was doing something in Paul’s suffering that could not have been done any other way.

And if we step back and look at Paul’s testimony, we see that God was accomplishing at least three things in his suffering.

1. God Stripped Paul of Self-Reliance

Paul was not a weak man. He was not soft. He had been shipwrecked, beaten, stoned, and imprisoned—and he kept going. But here, in this moment, he had nothing left.

And that was exactly where God needed him to be.

Because self-reliance is the enemy of faith.

We think we are strong. We think we are capable. We think we can handle life on our own. And then suffering comes, and it strips all of that away. It exposes how weak we really are.

This is what suffering does.

It brings us to the end of ourselves so that we will put our trust where it belongs—not in our own wisdom, not in our own resources, not in our own strength, but in God alone.

Some of you know exactly what that feels like.

• You thought your health was secure—until one day, it felt as if it was not.
• You thought your job and income were stable—until one day, they were not.
• You thought your faith was unshakable—until the suffering hit.

And in that moment, when everything you thought was strong crumbled, you were left with nothing but God.

And that’s the whole point.

God brings us to these places so that we will stop trusting in ourselves and start trusting in Him.

2. God Taught Paul to Trust in Him Alone

Paul says that in his suffering, he learned to trust in “God which raiseth the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).

Now, why does Paul say that? Why does he emphasize God’s power to raise the dead?

Because resurrection is the ultimate deliverance.

Paul is saying: Even if I had died, I would not have been lost. Even if the suffering had overwhelmed me, I still would have been delivered—because my God raises the dead.

That is the kind of faith God was forging in Paul’s heart.

It’s one thing to say, “I trust God to fix my problems.” It’s another thing to say, “Even if my problems aren’t fixed, I still trust God.”

• Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods” (Daniel 3:17-18).
• Job said: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15).

This is where God wants us—not trusting in temporary deliverance, but trusting in Him no matter what.

3. God Strengthened Paul Through the Prayers of the Saints

Paul closes this section by telling the Corinthians, “Ye also helping together by prayer for us” (2 Corinthians 1:11).

Paul was not too proud to ask for prayer.

He knew that his survival, his endurance, his perseverance were linked to the prayers of the church.

The prayers of God’s people move the hand of God.

• Listen—there is someone right now who is standing only because of your prayers.
• There is someone who is making it through suffering because people are lifting them up before the throne of grace.
• There is someone who would have given up, but the saints of God would not stop interceding for them.

Do not underestimate the power of prayer.

What Does This Mean for Us?

When suffering comes, when despair creeps in, when we have no strength left, we must remember:

• God is sovereign over our suffering. Our trials are not random. Our suffering is not meaningless. God is working in ways we cannot see.
• His grace is sufficient in our weakness. Paul begged for relief from his suffering, and what did God say? “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
• He will deliver us—if not in this life, then in the life to come. Paul says in Romans 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

That is our hope. That is our confidence. God will deliver us. Maybe in this life. Maybe not. But one way or another, He will deliver us.

Because our God raises the dead. So let us not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.