Sharing the Treasure of God’s Word

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

In the midst of trauma, your world turns upside down; you feel broken in a million pieces and steady footing seems impossible. The pain and sorrow of brokenness and loss leaves you in a place of uncertainty and vulnerability, oftentimes waiting for the next crushing blow.

I sat in that place. Normal exploded and my whole world crumbled. My heart was in pieces and hurt so badly I felt I wouldn’t survive. The uncertainty of what tomorrow would hold left me shaken and confused. 

How do you help someone in that place? You can’t fix it. You can’t take it away. You can’t promise “perfect” tomorrows. The tears will flow when you show love and kindness. Sleepless nights will ensue and questions will be asked without answers. 

As I think back to those who helped me pick up my pieces, I am struck by the things that gave a bit of hope: 

• The perfect timing of a provision. 
• The quiet sitting so I was not alone. 
• The care for my kids when I couldn’t. 
• A song sang over me as I wept uncontrollably.

The list could go on as the care and kindness came from many. But what was the one thing that gave me lasting Hope and assured me the broken pieces could be mended; that light would shine again in my life? My one thing was the truth found in the Word of God.

It came in the form of a 4×6 card with smudges and earmarks that spoke of use and the reliance of the words on the page. It was given to me by my sister as she visited our broken home. She came into the kitchen and handed me 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 on the rumpled card as she quietly said, “Shane and I have used this card through many trials and this Scripture has held true. Hopefully it will be an encouragement and help to you.”  

This is the summary of that card. “We are…

• hard-pressed…not crushed
• perplexed…not in despair
• persecuted…not forsaken
• struck down…not destroyed”

That treasure traveled with me for the next several years and I found its source, the Word of God, to be a foundation I could stand on. It was not a “Bible bandaid” but a deep truth given to a hurting woman who felt crushed, desperate, forsaken and destroyed. God, through His Word, showed me I was simply hard-pressed, perplexed, hurting and struck down. 

The verse prior says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7

How precious these words were to the woman who knew the weakness of the earthen vessel. And through the years, as I’ve leaned into the truth of the whole Word of God, I have grown to know that truly our hard times can show the excellence of the power of God. 

How can you help someone today? Offer a verse that has stood the test of time and how it has encouraged you in hard times. That testimony alone can offer Hope for their tomorrow.