Comfort That Comes From Suffering – 2 Corinthians 1:3-11
Paul opens 2 Corinthians with a blessing:
2 Corinthians 1:3 (CSB)
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.”
Mercy and comfort—God offers both abundantly when we face hardships, especially for the gospel’s sake.
2 Corinthians 1:4-7 (CSB)
“He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are afflicted, 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 that we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort.”
God comforts us in all our afflictions—the challenges of following Christ, whether from those who despise Him or, more painfully, from those who claim to love Him. Jesus knows; He suffered at the hands of both. His suffering overflows to us, and so does His comfort. Amazingly, as Christ’s suffering and comfort overflow to us, we can comfort others who suffer, sharing in both the pain and the hope of God’s comfort.
Paul shares the great troubles he endured while bringing the gospel to Asia:
2 Corinthians 1:8 (CSB)
“We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength—so that we even despaired of life itself.”
Our challenges may not match Paul’s—stoned, flogged, shipwrecked, beaten—but many of us have felt overwhelmed, beyond strength, even despairing. Paul offers a profound perspective:
2 Corinthians 1:9-10 (CSB)
“…so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead… We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again…”
Suffering teaches us not to trust in ourselves but in God, who raises the dead. It drives us to surrender, revealing two ‘Philisms’ I often share: God likes to keep us dependant – and the kicker – He is good at it; Surrender is victory. Christ learned obedience through suffering, and we learn to trust God fully in impossible situations only He can deliver us from.
If we’re in deep despair, we can take comfort knowing Christ and Paul suffered too, and God delivered them. We can hope He’ll deliver us as well. Paul ends by thanking those who prayed for him, noting their prayers brought deliverance and glorified God.
As we suffer, let’s draw on God’s comfort and hope. When He brings us through, we can comfort others. When we see others struggling, let’s comfort and pray for them, knowing God uses our prayers powerfully. Are we leaning into suffering, fully dependent on God, trusting His deliverance, and sharing His comfort?
Let’s lean into suffering, becoming fully dependant on God, trusting in His deliverance, and sharing His comfort with others.
