This morning, I spent some time reading 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. I love thinking about God as “the God of all comfort.” We read this:
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 receive from God.
Think about where you most need comfort today. Imagine how it might appear for you, how the Lord will draw near to you, and what heavenly aid He’ll release on your behalf. Let’s look for it today. What a day this could be!
I love the coziness of the word “comfort.” But I think about all of Paul’s great hardships that included beatings and imprisonment and hunger. How did God comfort him in those grim places? How could Paul praise God like this? How did Paul know God as “the God of all comfort?” I find myself delighted and challenged to think about this.
Paul makes the claim without limitation or restriction: God will comfort us in all our troubles. But why? So we can experience Him as the God of all comfort and then share this supernatural, beautiful, powerful comfort to those around us who need this comfort. The challenge is twofold then: to seek God’s comfort and then share God’s comfort today.
