Welcome to our April series where we will explore three characteristics about God this month that especially help us in our pain and problems. This week, we will look briefly at Paul’s description of God as the “God of all comfort” in 2 Corinthians:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)
I think the worst thing we can do for someone in pain is offer platitudes. Christians must do better than clichés and superficial answers for those facing pain and suffering. That’s why I love these verses. They offer real encouragement and real hope because Paul knew firsthand what it meant to suffer. And he knew through personal experience what God could do for those who are hurting. Chuck Swindoll reminds us:
“Second Corinthians was composed by a man who was no stranger to heartache. His body bore the marks of shipwreck, stoning, and a thorn in the flesh that wouldn’t leave; his soul knew the pain of false rumors, misunderstanding, and loss. He lived with suffering, regularly facing it head on. These opening words state in simple terms his position, as best as he can explain it, regarding the pain, heartache, and suffering of life.”
And so, Paul points us to the One who is the Father of mercies and source of all comfort for all our affliction. There is nothing we experience that is beyond God’s ability to comfort and no affliction goes uncomforted. This word “comfort” (or its root word) is used ten times in this section of 2 Corinthians (between verses 1:3 and 1:7) and is the same word Jesus uses to describe the ministry of the Holy Spirit:
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter), that He may be with you forever.” (John 14:16)
The synonym for comfort is “encourage.” So, how does God comfort or encourage us? We could look to His promised peace (Phil 4:7), His sovereignty that works good for His children (Rom 8:28), His love (Rom 8:31), or grace (2 Cor 12:9). And all of these are truly encouraging. However, in these verses in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Paul points us to a specific way God comforts. He uses His people to comfort each other. The unique Christian privilege is that as we suffer for Christ, we receive His comfort through His Word, His mercies, and His people. It can give us joy to turn and share the encouragement we have received from Him with our fellow brothers and sisters who are also suffering. Everything you learn about God, and every grace you experience from Him as you suffer, can be shared–just as Christ shares His Spirit with us and comforts us in every way. Paul shows this truth with His own life and teaches us here through his words that the family of God will never lack the comfort of God.
Here are a few (short!) articles about God’s comfort that you can read throughout the week for more encouragement:
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