It’s tempting for Christians to think that being a Christian should erase or at least ease the challenges and troubles of life. After all, we have God with us! Shouldn’t He protect us from hardships? Shouldn’t life be easier? When my parents became believers in Jesus this was a tough issue for them. Mom almost died after the birth of her ninth child and Dad came down with a severe case of rheumatism.
On one occasion during this time, Dad returned to his old source of comfort—alcohol. After juicing up one day, he went to see our pastor to give him an ear full about what this “Christianity had brought to his life.” The pastor wisely invited him to get down on his knees to “talk to God about these things.” Next thing you know, Dad was on his knees praying. Turning to God in his troubles was new for Dad. He learned to meet the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles. He learned that God is near and His grace sustains us.
Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33) and Paul told new believers in Antioch that, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). A truth that holds believers during their trials is that hardship, no matter how severe, cannot separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35). Nor are hardships a cause for questioning the love Christ has for us. Sooner or later, we learn that, “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble” (Nahum 1:7a).
The Apostle Paul: no stranger to hardship
The Apostle Paul, the one who wrote of the God who comforts us in our troubles, was no stranger to hardship. In fact, from the beginning he was marked out for these experiences by the Lord Jesus. At Paul’s conversion, the Lord said, “This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:15-16). The most extensive list of Paul’s hardship and suffering is found in 2 Cor 11:23-29.
A book to comfort those who suffer: II Corinthians
One of the main themes of II Corinthians is God’s comfort in the midst of affliction and suffering. This theme reaches into all of our lives because we all go through hardships. We all suffer. Some members of the church (like Paul) are called to suffer more than others. But the book of II Corinthians will help all Christians as the truths of this letter teach us how to relate to God in our sufferings. I turn again and again to the truths of II Corinthians especially 1:3-4.
In the book of II Corinthians, the primary occasion for emphasizing God’s comfort and purposes in suffering was the accusations leveled against Paul. Those who wanted to harm Paul were claiming that his suffering called into question his ministry and apostleship. Of course, it’s an old accusation to suggest that a person’s hardship is a sign of God’s displeasure. But in this case, it was being used to accomplish a very evil and subversive purpose. The critics were trying to discredit God’s apostle with the intention of taking over his place of leadership in the church at Corinth.
But Paul opens his letter praising God for the very thing his opponents are using to discredit his ministry. For Paul, as it should be for all of us:
“God is an active presence in the midst of trouble and hardship.”
II Corinthians 1:3-4 offers a very God-centered focus for our troubles. These are the truths that hold us in our troubles. I know they hold me.
1. Verse 3 focuses on who God is.
“He is the God of all comfort”
2. Verse 4a focuses on what God does.
“Who comforts us in all our troubles”
3. Verse 4b focuses on God’s purpose in what he does.
“So that we can comfort those in any trouble”
Schooled in comfort:
In our troubles, God brings us into His school of comfort where we study God’s ministry of comfort to us so that we can be effectively equipped to be His instruments of comfort to others.
Our God is so personal that He meets us in our troubles and He comforts us through them. The people who know God can with great confidence say, “The Lord is my Shepherd. It’s a very personal relationship. And because the Lord is my Shepherd, I can say, (Psalm 23:4) “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
The apostle (in II Corinthians 1) is saying: “Be a good student of divine comfort, for God is preparing you for a ministry of comfort when He comforts you!
Check out Steve’s blog at http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com.