MARCH 10

Hope When All Seems Lost

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

My friend Greg drove down from the Seattle area to go fishing with me.  On a cold clear late November morning we drove from Astoria to Seaside to the Necanicum River and launched my drift boat.  I’d run a drift boat many times and on more challenging rivers, so drifting down the Necanicum was a piece of cake in comparison–or so I thought.  We weren’t far from the launch when we entered into a turn in the river in which the river narrowed considerably.  I was approaching that turn as I should, but there wasn’t enough water to get any traction with my right oar.  The water pushed us up against the bank and within seconds the boat started filling with water.  Ultimately the boat flipped over and we and all our equipment ended up in the river.  I remember floating downstream looking up at the surface and wondering if we’d both survive.  I prayed.  About 100 yards downstream the river calmed and we found our footing.  Amazingly, all we lost was one fishing pole and a considerable amount of my ego.  We spent the rest of the day trying to get warm!  Life is filled with all kinds of trials (John 16:33; Job 5:7; James 1:2).  But God is well able to deliver us.  In Him we should set our hope.

The context of today’s passage is a severe trial that the Apostle Paul and his companions faced. We are not told the specifics of what happened, but it was an affliction of such severity that Paul and his companions “were so utterly burdened beyond (their) strength that (they) despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8). “Indeed, (they) felt that (they) had received the sentence of death” (2 Corinthians 1:9). We all face trials, and there’s a lesson to be learned in them. We are prone sometimes to think that we can figure out things on our own, but trials are God’s way of teaching us to “rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9; Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 8:34). If God can do that, then He can do anything!

“Deliverance” is a key term in this passage.  The Apostle Paul experienced countless trials, like this one, and God delivered him from each and every one (2 Corinthians 11:23-33).  So, “on him,” Paul and his companions “set (their) hope that he (would) deliver (them) again” (2 Corinthians 1:10).  To set one’s hope on God is to determine, by the Spirit, to focus one’s thinking regarding future deliverance on him alone.    

God doesn’t always deliver us from our trials, sometimes he delivers us through them.  Like when the Apostle Paul was harassed by a thorn in the flesh, “a messenger of satan” (2 Corinthians 12:7).  Three times Paul prayed that it should leave him, but God said no and instead provided sufficient grace to see him through (2 Corinthians 12:9). Sometimes God delivers to a place where trials will be no more.  We have Paul’s last works in 2 Timothy chapter 4.  The “time of (his) departure had come” (2 Timothy 4:6).  He’d faced opposition (2 Timothy 4:15).  Friends had deserted him (2 Timothy 4:16).  But he said, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18).

You’ve faced trials before.  You’ll face them again.  In the “God who raises the dead” we have One who is preeminently qualified to come to your rescue.  On Him we should set our hope.  The hymn “Be Still, My Soul” puts it this way: “Be still, my soul!  God doth undertake, to guide the future as He has the past.  Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last.  Be still, my soul! The waves and winds still know, His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below!”

Hope Set on God is Well Placed Hope

Lord Jesus.  Time after time You’ve delivered us.  From the moment of saving faith, until this very day, You’ve watched over us.  In this life we meet with all kinds of troubles, and it’s to You that we look.  Apart from You we’d have no hope of deliverance.  Thank you for saving us!  Thank you that amidst the darkness of these days, the bright hope bound up in You shines even brighter.  May we have the wisdom to set our future hope on You alone, the One who rose from the dead; the One who has worked to deliver us from this present evil age; the One who will bring us safely into Your heavenly kingdom!  Amen!  

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Author: looking2jesus13

Jerry L. Conklin was born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served for six years in the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program. He was assigned to the USS *Omaha* (SSN-692), a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, where he served as a reactor-plant electrical operator. His military service took him to ports and locations throughout the world and provided extensive technical training, leadership experience, and an enduring appreciation for those who serve in the Armed Forces. Following his Navy service, Jerry earned a bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Technology from Thomas Edison State University. He worked at the Trojan Nuclear Plant near Rainier, Oregon, first as a reactor operator and later as a training specialist. After sensing God’s call to pastoral ministry, he left the nuclear-power industry and earned a master’s degree in theology from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Jerry served for twenty-seven and a half years as senior pastor of Lewis and Clark Bible Church in Astoria, Oregon. During those years, he preached and taught the Scriptures, provided pastoral counseling, performed weddings and memorial services, trained church leaders, and served individuals and families throughout the community. He also served as a fire department chaplain and participated in a variety of community ministries. After retiring from full-time pastoral ministry, Jerry and his wife, Laura, moved to Heppner, Oregon. There he served for approximately four years as a chaplain with Pioneer Memorial Home Health and Hospice, providing spiritual and emotional support to more than 150 patients and their families. In 2023, the Oregon Association for Home Care honored him as its Chaplain of the Year. Jerry also helped establish South Morrow County Seniors Matter, a nonprofit organization created to address the needs of older adults following the COVID-19 pandemic. As chairman, he worked with community leaders and volunteers to develop a weekly senior meal program, a monthly veterans’ lunch, and other activities and services. The organization served hundreds of seniors, mobilized more than 200 volunteers, and received statewide and national recognition. In 2025, Jerry was named Heppner’s Man of the Year, and his community service was later recognized by United States Senator Jeff Merkley. International missions have also been an important part of Jerry’s ministry. He has made ten trips to Uganda, where he has taught at pastors’ conferences, preached in churches, participated in Bible-school graduations, distributed Bibles and Christian materials, and encouraged local pastors and ministry leaders. He developed the discipleship booklet *First Steps with Jesus* to help new believers understand and grow in their faith. Jerry is the author of numerous books, Bible studies, devotionals, and teaching resources, including works centered on prayer, Christian hope, spiritual growth, and the person of Jesus Christ. His decades of preaching and teaching reflect his commitment to presenting biblical truth clearly, practically, and faithfully. Jerry and Laura were married for nearly forty-two years and raised four children. They were also blessed with three grandchildren. Laura passed away in August 2025 following an eight-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. Jerry currently lives in Hillsboro, where he helps care for his elderly father. He continues to preach, teach, write, and serve others through pastoral and community ministry.

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