All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of
all comfort. He comforts us
in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to
give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we
suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are
weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will
certainly comfort you. Then you can
patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident
that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God
gives us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NLT)
Paul helped the Corinthian church make sense of why he
had to endure suffering by showing them the value of patient sharing in times
of crisis and hurt. Further into this
passage Paul recalled a time when his suffering was so great he even despaired
of life itself.
It’s at such times, when disaster comes, or tragedy
strikes, Paul says, the meaning of his suffering was wrapped up in the comfort of
others in the church, that they may experience how to endure the suffering this
life will bring on us all.
In my early days of following Christ I had a friend
who was a mentor to me. Jerry used to
tell me: when I hurt you ought to cry. I believe my friend understood Paul’s economy
of the fellowship of God’s people.
If you recall the story of Job, you know that he was a
wealthy, well-respected and honorable pillar of his community. Then Satan was allowed to test him; the devil
was allowed to take everything from Job, except his life.
In the midst of the great suffering that was brought
on by the indescribable loss of his family, wealth, health, and even the
respect of his wife, Job had three “friends” come to his side to help him
figure it out. But these friends did not
have a clue what Job was going through.
And how could they? Not many have
suffered what Job suffered.
All that Job’s friends could do was sit by the fire
and speculate what evil thing Job must have done to tick God off that much; it
had to be that Job had some secret hidden sins to bring on the kind of
punishment from God which takes away everything.
Job said of the three “friends” who came to sit with
him:
What miserable comforters you are! Job
16:2 NLT
You tell ‘em, Job!
Another dear friend and member of the church I serve
recently suffered through a minor stroke.
Years ago his wife of 50 years also experienced a debilitating stroke; she
is dependent on him for daily care.
As we visited in the hospital a week ago he told
me: I have a new appreciation for what she went
through; I’m going to be able to understand how I can help her more in the
future.
I believe my friend understands exactly what Paul had
in mind about the value of his suffering for the Corinthian believers. And when we place that understanding in our
everyday thinking and living, we can all begin to connect with the fact that
we’re not alone in this universe. God
has made us for each other, and for himself.
Jesus endured the greatest suffering anyone has ever
known, and it’s therefore not an empty sound when he says: I will not leave you comfortless… John 14:18 KJV
And he really doesn’t you know; when I hurt, God has
placed people alongside me to cry. I am not
alone.
For You Today
And what about when you hurt?
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