Specific experiences

In the previous passage, we confirmed that God delivers us from our trials. This truth is repeatedly sung in the Psalms. “The afflictions of the righteous are many, but the Lord rescues him from them all. He protects all his bones, not one of them is broken” (Ps. 34:19-20). “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your comfort delights my soul” (Ps. 94:19). In today’s passage, Paul speaks of his own experience. (1) In Asia, he encountered affliction so severe that he was prepared to die. “Our affliction which occurred in Asia” probably refers to the persecution in Ephesus (ref. Acts 19:23-41; 1 Cor. 15:32). (2) Through that affliction, he was trained in faith, gave up relying on himself, and came to rely solely on the power of God who raises the dead. (3) When that happened, God rescued him from the danger of death. (4) After this experience, Paul’s faith became even more steadfast. He came to have the hope that God would surely continue to rescue him in the future.

The principle of effective prayer

Next, Paul refers to the significance of intercessory prayer. This is what is expressed in verse 11, and at the same time, it also provides a principle for effective prayer. “if you also join in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons in our behalf for the favor granted to us through the prayers of many.” Breaking down this verse, we can see the following. (1) Paul asks for intercessory prayer on his behalf. (2) For those who prayed, the news that Paul had been delivered becomes an opportunity to give thanks for God’s grace. (3) Not only that, but they also come to share in the experience of that deliverance. Have you experienced the effectiveness of intercessory prayer? Have you also shared in the experience of deliverance from affliction? Let us remember those who are in the midst of trials now and offer intercessory prayers for them.