"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE COMFORT OF GOD"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE COMFORT OF GOD"

2 Cor 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

2 Cor 1:4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Some explanatory thoughts, application, and a prayer to God our Father:

1. These verses come from God through Paul in the very first part of his letter to the Corinthian church, (which was having all kinds of trouble.)

2. What Paul does here is to speak of God, and tells us a number of things about God that are such a blessing in our own lives.

3. If you read verses 3-7 of this chapter, you will notice that God uses the word comfort some 10 times. He is really trying to drive the point home.

4. The word comfort, as it's used here is speaking of far more than a passing relief of sympathy. It pictures one who stands beside us in the midst of struggle to encourage and support. The same root word is used of the Holy Spirit, our heavenly Comforter, and Divine Paraclete, ( one called alongside to help )

5. The teaching in these verses, affirm the following truths.

(1) God, who is the Father of Jesus Christ, will comfort us in the midst of adversity.

(2) This comfort will serve us in a powerful way when God uses us to comfort others.

6. One last thought here. Please notice, that Paul says, speaking of God, in 1:4 "Who comforts us in all our tribulation" , and towards the end of the verse say, "we ourselves are comforted by God" I like the word, "all" because it leaves nothing out. Whatever you may be going through, God can comfort you. He is with You, and He is with you to comfort you. And, He will use that comfort He gives you to one day comfort others who need comfort.

A prayer:

Lord, this is such a wonderful passage of Scripture. (what part of Your Word isn't) but, this one seems to strike home in a way that hits the spot in so many lives. Thank You for being the God of all comfort, who comforts us. We pray that we would receive Your comfort, and that we might be used by You to share that same comfort with others who need it. For we are not the only ones, that's for sure. In Jesus name, amen

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.