The God of All Comfort

      When we think we are having a bad day, we need to consider another man who has gone through some pretty tough times.  Read this description of what he endured.  "Are you servants of Christ?  I am a better one - I am talking like a madman - with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.  Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes but one.  Three times I was beaten with rods.  Once I was stoned.  Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure" (2 Corinthians 11:23-27).  And we thought we were having a bad day?  Just reading through this is overwhelming.  Yet the Apostle Paul endured all these things for the sake of Christ.       

     In Chapter 1 of this letter, verses 3-5, Paul writes:  "Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflictions, 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." This has been one of my favorite verses given to me at a very dark time in my life when I, too, was going through some difficulties. This passage gave me comfort and encouragement to keep on going.  Later I saw that what I had gone through was something God would use so that I could comfort others who were struggling in like manner.

     This portion of Paul's letter to the Corinthians was to remind the readers that Jesus told us that we would face trials and tribulations in this life.  He spoke these words of comfort, "But take heart, I have overcome the world"(John16:33c).  Paul wanted the Church in Corinth to be aware that while afflictions and hardships are part of the Christian's walk, they also help us to grow.  As God comforts us, we will be able to comfort others going through a similar difficulty.  We also develop a heart of compassion for others as well.

     When my Great Aunt Micky was going through breast cancer many years ago, I remember my mother (who worked at the same hospital where she was a patient) telling me that every day Great Aunt Micky would go visit other cancer patients to cheer them up and make them smile.  She felt like this was her opportunity to give them a word of encouragement.  The nurses even remarked about her kind words and visits to others.  Ultimately, she did not win her battle against cancer but she brought a lot of comfort to others.  My Great Aunt said that God had given her comfort and peace and she was just passing it on.

     If today, we feel overwhelmed by our afflictions, problems or difficulties remember that we can run to God who is the God of all comfort.  He will hear our prayers and bring us comfort so that we, in turn, can pass it on to others who need comfort too.  Selah!

P.S. A friend once told me that when I think I have it bad, there is always someone else that has greater troubles than I do. We would all do well to remind ourselves of that daily.