2 Corinthians 1:3-7
SCRIPTURE: “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. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” NIV
OBSERVATION: Paul allowed his trials and afflictions to be opportunities for him to be able to encourage and comfort others who were also suffering. At one point in his life, Paul had been completely overwhelmed and despaired of life as he and his fellow missionaries had faced an angry mob. What he thought was going to lead to a terrible death, God ended up miraculously delivering them! Paul’s theology regarding physical and emotional pain played a major role in how he responded to difficult situations, and he purposely shared with the Corinthian church what he went through AND how God had comforted him during his challenging and scary trials.
APPLICATION: I have not had to experience an angry mob coming against me like Paul did, but I have faced many challenging and scary situations. I can honestly say that for each and every trial that I have gone through, they have helped shape me by learning what a good and gracious God I serve!
One trial in particular that I faced was when I was forced to give life support to someone who was in code blue. When I couldn’t imagine life becoming more stressful, God came and brought life back into that person! Another trial was when I was on the other end of the phone talking to a person who had become hopeless and had decided it would be best to commit suicide. God rushed in and gave me words of hope to speak life which ended up miraculously changing that person’s mind! There was another trial that my husband and I faced. We received a call in the middle of the night telling us that our oldest son had been in a terrible motorcycle accident. We were told that he would probably not be alive when we arrived at the hospital! Thirty-two years later, we are able to look back and see how God not only spared our son’s life, but has helped him to be an over-comer, even while living with paralysis! And last year after rushing to my 93 year old dad’s side after he had suffered from a brain bleed due to a roll-over car accident, we are able to see how our gracious Miracle working God showed up and brought healing back into him! Through each and every one of those challenging trials, I was able to experience God’s merciful hand and get to see how He brought comfort into our lives!
PRAYER: Merciful God of comfort, You are so faithful to prove Your love to us when we are going through challenging times and struggles, and how blessed we are to be able to come out knowing what a good and faithful God You are as we experience the personalized provisions You give to us as we cry out to You. AND because we have experienced Your comfort while going through our trials, we are now able to comfort those who are going through their trials! I pray as I have learned to put my trust in You that I will be faithful to minister Your love to those who are going through any kind of trial or affliction, and I thank You that I am able to do this through the comfort which I have received from You.
- Robin Orefice
