“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.”
(2 Corinthians 1:3–4 ESV)
In my original post, I introduced the first promise found in 2 Corinthians, that God is the God of all comfort. We come to this conclusion because of Paul’s theology and faith. Paul saw God for who He is. However, seeing God for who He is will only take you so far. Let’s continue with Paul’s train of thought in 2 Corinthians as we build on the promise stated in verse 3.
Paul Sees God for What He Does
Ask yourself this, when difficult situations come where do most people turn? Where do you turn? Think of 9/11 for a moment or a tragedy in your own life. Maybe you have faced or are facing a difficult medical situation, a diagnosis that stops you in your tracks and takes your breath away causing you to gasp for life. You are left to reflect on how fragile life is. In those moments of weakness where did you turn? Who did others turn to? God? Others? Books? Logic? Truth be told, there is something about God that causes us to reach out to him in our moments of distress. It is as if our turning to God is wired in our DNA as His image bearers (Genesis 1:27), broken as we may be. I am convinced most turn to God because they realize the need for someone outside themselves to heal them. As much as we turn to and rely on doctors, we understand their limitations. There is a human factor that we subconsciously calculate in the equation of healing when a medical diagnosis is given. As much as we turn to our loved ones, best friends, confidants, mentors, spouses, pastors, we understand their limitations. They are not infinitely wise or all knowing. They may have good advice, the correct answers, but they could be wrong. This is all too true for us because of our experiences of being let down at times by those that are closest to us. For the apostle Paul, the Corinthians let him down numerously in their way of life and reactions to his ministry decisions. And Paul, like so many others, turned to God for comfort. This is why he writes in verse 4a identifying God as the God of all comfort. Paul reveals His source of strength, which becomes clear to the Corinthian church, and to us, that Paul found his comfort not in people or things but rather in God.
The truest comfort that we can take from these words is that God will never let us down. How do I know this to be true? Read Romans 8:31-39 when you get a chance. Paul opens this long discussion with a rhetorical question in verse 31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” The answer is no one! Why? Because God the Father gave up His one and only Son to death in order that those who truly believe will live (Romans 8:32; see also Romans 4:25; 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13). When we truly understand Jesus, we will take the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:4 and cling to that 3-letter word “all.” He comforts us not in some of our afflictions, trials or tribulations, or the ones He determines appropriate. But God comforts us in every single affliction we experience. Every diagnosis He is there wrapping His loving arms around us and picking us up. But one of the reasons why we struggle with this is the way we approach God. Like the Corinthian church that was so focused on themselves they couldn’t see how God works in the way that Paul speaks.
Paul Sees God’s Goal As Giving Comfort
When we speak of goals, we think of the end of something and how we can get to that point and accomplish the goal. If you are a runner, the goal is the finish line. The way you arrive at the finish line is by running as fast as your body will allow based on your conditioning. The goal of God, in 2 Corinthians 1:4, is to offer us comfort so that we can comfort others who are afflicted. This puts a completely different twist on our suffering. We suffer with a purpose, the end in mind. Most of us, including myself don’t see what happens after the suffering as the goal, rather we see our situations as the end/goal in themselves. This is why we come to God and cry out in our most difficult moments, “Why?” “How could God allow this to happen to me?” But as we learn in this context, the suffering is a means to an end. The goal is for us, through Godly comfort, to comfort others as well. We suffer to help those who suffer. But it is more than simply comforting others. The comfort is to lead people either to a first true encounter with God or a return to God. The outward expression towards others, removes the focus from us and places it on others and ultimately back to Jesus, the one true Savior (2 Corinthians 1:6 – “…if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation”; cf. Philippians 3:10).
As I close these thoughts, let me encourage you not to turn inward in the midst of your suffering, but turn back to the Lord Jesus Christ. Find comfort in the Lord, see it as an opportunity to comfort others and lead them to God their creator!