2Cor. 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
What a great verse this is. Paul just referenced in the previous verses a situation that looked and felt like a defeat. It at least was confusing; yet here in verse 14 he gives thanks for a triumph. This great evangelist experienced a door opened in The Lord for the gospel to be preached in Troas, but his spirit (not his flesh) was troubled and he didn’t stay. Have you ever felt God was saying yes to something, and then He seemed to block it? That can be very confusing and discouraging. Paul could have gotten very down about this situation, but instead he gives thanks to God, believing that Jesus was winning.
You see, Paul knew he was In Christ, and he lived for the purposes of Christ, or in other words the triumph of Christ and His purposes. Because of that, he believed that God was ALWAYS leading him; ALWAYS!!! Therefore, because he believed God was always leading him, he believed Jesus was always triumphing. It might not look like triumph, or feel like triumph to his flesh, but he didn’t have to understand everything, he simply lived by faith, and thus he lived a THANKFUL LIFE.