II Corinthians 1:3,4 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
Paul knew trouble. He was intimately acquainted with it. It almost seems he went from one trouble to another, ye he could talk about being comforted.
In the text verse for today, Paul makes it clear that “comfort” does not mean peace without trouble, although it can. He was comforted in his tribulation. We could not know the depths of God’s comfort apart from the trials. In fact, they make His comfort seem much sweeter and we appreciate it more.
Our God is the “God of all comfort.” I believe that it means that His comfort is more than suitable to comfort us in any situation. We can think of the “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) when we think about God’s comfort. We will not need more than that in trying times.
Many believers today do not experience God’s comfort because they are not willing to walk close to God. Doing so requires faithfulness on our part no matter what comes our way.
Paul’s testimony reveals that comfort and tribulations often go together. Serving God makes us a target for the Wicked One, but God’s grace is always sufficient when our eyes are on our Lord. God also never permits the temptation to be greater than we can bear with His help.
Notice also that these verses reveal that God has more than one purpose in comforting us. The verse proclaims that God “comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble.” It means that God wants to comfort you also because He wants you to show your brothers and sisters in Christ that His comfort is sufficient to keep you serving Him.
Christian, are you experiencing His comfort now? Are you walking close enough to Him so that He can prove His comfort is more than sufficient?