2 Corinthians 1:3, 4 - God of All Comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3, 4 (NIV) Praise be to the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we
can comfort those in any trouble with the
comfort we ourselves have received from God.
INTRODUCTION
Many think that when God comforts us, our
hardships should go away. But if that were always so,
people would turn to God only to be relieved of
pain and not out of love for him. We must
understand that comfort can also mean receiving
strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with our
hardships. The more we suffer, the more comfort God
gives us (1:5). If you are feeling overwhelmed,
allow God to comfort you as he can. Remember that
every trial you endure will later become an
opportunity to minister to other people suffering
similar hardships. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
God Wants to Comfort You
My childs feelings are hurt. I tell
her shes special.
My child is injured. I do whatever it
takes to make her feel better.
My child is afraid. I wont go to sleep
until she is secure.
Im not a hero. Im not a superstar.
Im not unusual. Im a parent. When a child
hurts, a parent does what comes naturally. He
helps.
And after I help, I dont charge a fee.
I dont ask for a favor in return. When my
child cries, I dont tell her to buck up, act
tough, and keep a stiff upper lip. Nor do I consult
a list and ask her why she is still scraping
the same elbow or waking me up again.
Im not a prophet, nor the son of one,
but something tells me that in the whole scheme
of things the tender moments described above
are infinitely more valuable than anything I do
in front of a computer screen or congregation.
Something tells me that the moments of comfort I give
my child are a small price to pay for the joy
of someday seeing my daughter do for her
daughter what her dad did for her.
Moments of comfort from a parent. As a
father, I can tell you they are the sweetest moments
in my day. They come naturally. They come
willingly. They come joyfully.
If all of that is true, if I know that
one of the privileges of fatherhood is to
comfort a child, then why am I so reluctant to let
my heavenly Father comfort me?
Why do I think he wouldnt want to hear
about my problems? (They are puny compared to
people starving in India.)
Why do I think he is too busy for me?
(Hes got a whole universe to worry about.)
Why do I think hes tired of hearing
the same old stuff?
Why do I think he groans when he sees me
coming?
Why do I think he consults his list when
I ask for forgiveness and asks, Dont you
think youre going to the well a few too many
times on this one?
Why do I think I have to speak a holy
language around him that I dont speak with anyone
else?
Why do I not take him seriously when he
questions, If you, then, though you are evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will your Father in heaven give good
gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11)
Why dont I let my Father do for me
what I am more than willing to do for my own
children?
Im learning, though. Being a parent is
better than a course on theology. Being a father is
teaching me that when I am criticized, injured, or
afraid, there is a Father who is ready to comfort
me. There is a Father who will hold me until
Im better, help me until I can live with the
hurt, and who wont go to sleep when Im
afraid of waking up and seeing the dark.
Ever. And thats enough. [Max Lucado
Daily Devotional at maxlucado.com]
COMMENTARY
The Promise of Comfort
God longs to comfort us when we are afraid,
uncertain, or hurting.
The Bible is filled with Gods
promises, and together theyre woven into a
beautiful tapestry depicting His goodness. Among the
greatest of all the threads is the promise of Gods
comfort. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, we learn that He is
the Father of all mercies and God of all
comfort. Likewise, in Hebrews 13:5, the author
reminds us of the Lords pledge: I will never
desert you, nor will I ever abandon you. We are
not alone in this life, left to muddle through
it as best we can. We have a loving heavenly
Father who walks alongside us through it all.
That means that no matter what youre
facing in life - whether its a financial crisis,
a health scare, strained relationships, or
even everyday hardships"God is your refuge and
strength, able to protect and console you no matter
what (Psalm 46:1). He understands your pain and
fear, your anger and doubt, and He is sufficient
to care for and aid you through even the
darkest seasons of life.
Choose a book of the Bible, and as you
read it, list the many promises God makes to His
children. How do you feel, knowing the Ruler of the
universe cares for you in this way? [In Touch Daily
Devotional by Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org]
CLOSING PEARLS
I was just getting to know the woman
sitting across from me, but we'd connected and found
we had some painful things in common. I was on
the other side of my crisis; she'd barely begun
hers.
It felt strange to be having this
conversation in the same place where I'd confided a
devastating secret to a friend several years earlier.
Her comfort had strengthened me to face what
came next and provided me with an example of how
to minister to others.
I had an opinion about what my new friend
should do but thought I should leave the decision
to her and Jesus alone. I could pray with her
as others had prayed with me, hug her, share
her tears, and keep my promise to stay in touch.
Jesus had comforted me through friends, and now it
was my turn to be there for someone else.
When we are in the throes of a
life-altering trial, it is all we can do to cling to
belief that we will one day use our experiences to
help others. We may listen to a story that is
eerily similar to ours and know that this is our
chance to offer comfort. We can empathize in ways
that are impossible for those who haven't been
there and know when to speak and when not to. In
those moments, we feel surprisingly grateful for
the hard thing that we thought we'd never
survive and the comfort that came through Jesus and
those He placed in our path. Jeanette Hanscome
Faith Step: Consider how a past trial has
equipped you to help others. Who do you have
compassion for now? Who have you helped already?
[Mornings With Jesus 2019 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
The Best Use of Your Deepest Pain
When youre going through pain, you can
choose to focus on yourself or on other people.
When you choose to focus on serving other hurting
people, thats called redemptive suffering. It is
the highest and best use of your pain.
No matter what pain you've gone through,
Jesus wants to redeem your suffering. He doesn't
want it to be wasted! He wants to use it to help
other people when they are in pain.
"[God] comforts us in all our troubles so
that we can comfort others. When they are
troubled, we will be able to give them the same
comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for
Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort
through Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:4-5 NLT).
Who's better qualified to help a
struggling veteran than somebody who's been a
struggling veteran? Who's better qualified to help
someone recovering from a prescription drug
addiction than somebody who has recovered from a
prescription drug addiction? Who could better help
someone who is suffering from a chronic illness than
someone who has also suffered in the same way?
Your greatest ministry will come out of
your deepest pain. If you'll be honest with God,
others, and yourself about whatever struggle
youve faced, then that struggle will become your
ministry.
Sharing your strengths doesn't make you
feel any closer to someone. But when you share
the experiences that have led you to surrender
to God and rely on his strength, then youll
be connected to others more deeply than you can
imagine. Why? Because when you"as a broken
person"share with other broken people how God has
restored you, youre not just sharing something you
have in common. Youre sharing hope that other
people can also experience redemption through Jesus
Christ.
Sharing your pain helps you and the
people around you to grow in Christ. Using your
pain to serve others is a form of ministry.
Dont waste your pain. Let God use it
for your greatest ministry. [Daily Devotional by
Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Let my unfailing Love be your comfort.
One definition of "comfort" is a person or thing
that makes you feel less upset or frightened
during a time of trouble. Because you live in such
a broken world, trouble is never far away.
There are many sources of comfort in the world,
yet only one of them is unfailing: My Love!
Other sources will help you some of the time, but
My tender Presence is with you all of the time.
My perfect, inexhaustible Love is not
just a thing that makes you feel less upset;
its also a Person. Nothing in all creation can
separate you from Me. And I am inseparable from My
Love.
As My cherished follower, you can turn to
Me for comfort at all times. Since you have
this boundless Source of blessing " Me - I want
you to be a blessing in the lives of other
people. You can comfort those in any trouble with
the comfort you have received from Me. (Psa.
119:76; John 16:33; Rom. 8:38, 39; 2Co. 1:3,4)
[Jesus Always by Sarah Young]
Let My consolation - My comfort - bring
Joy to your soul. When anxiety is welling up
within you, come to Me and pour out your heart.
Then sit quietly in My Presence while I comfort
you, helping you see things from My perspective.
I remind you of your heavenly destination, for
you are indeed on your way to Glory! I infuse My
Joy and Peace into your heart, mind, and soul.
When you are joyful, this changes the way
you view the world around you. Even though you
see much darkness, you can also see the Light of
My Presence continuing to shine. Moreover, the
Joy in your soul gives you buoyancy, enabling
you to rise above the countless problems in your
life. Once you have gained this perspective, you
will discover that you can comfort others in the
midst of their troubles. They will find in you the
consolation that you have found in Me. Thus My Joy in
you becomes contagious, "infecting" those around
you with Joy in their souls! (Psa. 94:19; 62:8;
2Co. 1:3, 4) [Jesus Always by Sarah Young mod]
TESTIMONY
My favorite portion of Scripture isn't
really a verse. It's a snippet that occurs 457
times in the King James Version: "And it came to
pass."
No matter how deep the muck I'm wading
through, no matter how troubling the trial, I take
great comfort in knowing that it came to pass.
Even in this trying situation, God is sovereign.
Everything that touches me must first pass through his
umbrella of loving-kindness.
Daniel had his lions' den; the three
Hebrew youths had their fiery furnace. Paul had
more trials than we can list in a short space,
and Peter had to look his Savior in the eye
after denying him three times. My trials may not
be nearly as dramatic, but when they threaten
to sweep me off my feet, I remember that I've
not been abandoned. Jesus is with me; my
heavenly Father is monitoring my progress through the
valley of the shadow. He knows I'll emerge on the
other side"even if that other side is
eternity"reflecting more of Jesus and less of me.
And so I rejoice that I've been counted
worthy of sharing in suffering ... so that I'll
also be able to share in the ministry of
comforting others.
Angela Hunt is a novelist, a writer, and
author. [The One Year Bible Live Verse Devotional]
GREAT MUSIC VIDEO ON THIS SUBJECT:
Blessings by Laura Story (mercies in
disguise)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOOFAaUGfRE
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY
2 Corinthians 1:3, 4 - God of All Comfort.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160709-2049.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
