Shall thy work decay?

Lately, I've learned how easy it is to read this sonnet from a corporate point of view. The pain and tangible sense of struggle is visceral.

Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?
Repair me now, for now mine end doth haste,
I run to death, and death meets me as fast,
And all my pleasures are like yesterday;
I dare not move my dim eyes any way,
Despair behind, and death before doth cast
Such terror, and my feeble flesh doth waste
By sin in it, which it t'wards hell doth weigh;
Only thou art above, and when towards thee
By thy leave I can look, I rise again;
But our old subtle foe so tempteth me,
That not one hour my self I can sustain;
Thy Grace may wing me to prevent his art,
And thou like Adamant draw mine iron heart.

(John Donne, Holy Sonnet #1)

Thankful for God's answer of a resounding "NO" in Romans 8. The trials we undergo do not hamper His kingdom but ultimately strengthen it. Nothing will stop Him from working out our salvation, or, by extension, the good of the Church. We survive by holding onto His promises.

"For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it." (Romans 8.24-25)