“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” (2 Corinthians 1:8b-9a).

That is what the Apostle Paul wrote in relation to the affliction he and his comrades endured in Asia. Whatever it was, we know it was intense and great. From their perspective, their very lives were on the line. For all they knew, death was around the corner. And in many circumstances, that would cause a lot of people to throw in the towel.

When reading of Paul’s affliction and how it made him feel, I couldn’t help but think of the current political climate. Yes, it’s a disaster. If you’re reading this, then you’ve likely also read some of the headlines that address children being mutilated due to transgender ideology. You’re likely painfully aware of the fact that, under the current administration, our country has been flooded with illegal immigrants who are causing Americans significant ail. The economy is beyond help, you may think, and it’s hard to even consider how anything could get better under a Harris-Walz administration.

On that note, maybe you’re completely frazzled over the upcoming election. In less than 40 days, someone will be elected as the next president of the United States, and the options don’t feel particularly great. I’m not here to endorse any particular candidate, only to highlight what I have heard in various conversations.

Unfortunately, I’ve heard numerous believers speak in utter despair over the state of this country and the potential outcome of the election. “I really, really don’t know what we will do if Kamala Harris wins,” I’ve heard said. “Donald Trump changing his stance on abortion makes me wonder if I should even vote,” others have expressed. Borrowing Paul’s language, the society that surrounds us feels like a “burden beyond our strength,” and now we feel “despaired of life itself” as it pertains to regaining sanity in the various aspects of life now tainted by poor policies and deceptive authorities.

I have no doubt, under the present circumstances, there are countless Americans — Christian and non-Christian alike — that feel America has received “the sentence of death.” Like Paul and his fellow affliction-bearers, perhaps it feels like this is the end, and it’s time to throw in the towel. “God help us,” many have sighed as they shut off the TV and retreat from the public square.

But what if that sigh of retreat is exactly the answer we need to calm our troubled souls? At least, that’s the message Paul articulated further into this chapter in Corinthians. Yes, they suffered greatly in Asia, but God helped them. Here was his response to those circumstances, “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” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10).

So what if it feels like America has received the sentence of death? We serve a God who raises the dead! In the midst of “deadly peril,” Paul raised His eyes to the life-giving, promise-keeping God. He turned to Him for deliverance, trusting that His power was stronger than the circumstances Paul found himself in. He turned to God, because “on Him” he had set his hope. “I know my God will come through,” the apostle declared. “And I know He will do it again and again.”

When you look at the world around you, with all its worries and woes, where does it cause you to turn? If you turn to yourself, you’ll only find more reasons to worry and despair. The sentence of death is all there will be, and you’ll forget that God has promised no sentence of death, but a gift of eternal life to those who believe in Him. What if the political pandemonium around us was “to make us rely not on ourselves but on God”? What if, regardless of who is elected in November, we actually believed that God can and will deliver us, even from deadly peril? What if, rather than on politics, our hope was set on Christ? Well, perhaps then we would find the peace we crave, and the assurance we’re looking for that things will be alright.

Dear reader, the princes of the air may be hard at work deceiving and destroying, but Christ is the King of the universe and has established His throne forever. The spirits of darkness may run amok, but Jesus is the light of the world. Evil may be rampant, but God uses evil for good (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28). Rulers and authorities may abuse their power, but they are still subject to God’s ultimate authority.

So long as Christ lives, it is indisputably impossible that any evil, darkness, or threat of any kind could ever lead us to ruin. Revelation 20:10 reminds us of the future we can be sure of: “And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” This is not a pipedream. This is the victory Christ secured on the cross. His Kingdom knows no end, and not even the gates of hell shall prevail (Luke 1:33; Matthew 16:18).

And alongside these truths, in which we find peace, hope, and assurance, we must acknowledge that faith is not merely our anchor in the storm but also a call to action. In final thoughts over his affliction and God’s deliverance, Paul concludes in verse 11, “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.”

Church, we need to be praying fervently.

When tempted to fear about which policies will pass or who will be elected, pray. When worried about the future of this country, pray. When you think you can’t vote, pray, and vote anyway. Vote for the person you know better reflects God’s truth. Ultimately, for those who are believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are never called to despair. We are always called to hope, trust, believe, and pray.

Paul could have ended the discussion with a reminder of our need to rely on God. But he chose to include the call for prayer. Because Paul, in line with what all of Scripture proclaims, believes in the power of prayer. More importantly, he believes in the One to whom we pray.

Do you?