Comforting those who need comfort.

The heart of this author is heavy for the broken-hearted and afflicted who I come in contact with each day. While a pastor I met the broken-hearted in the hills of eastern Kentucky but as a salesman I meet the suffering and afflicted all over the country.

I experienced the grief and devastating pain of a friend not long ago as he received news of the passing of a loved one. My heart broke for him and I wish there was something I could do to take the pain away from him and his family during this trying time.

As a minister of the gospel I plant my feet firmly on the inerrant word of God and below I will introduce to you a quick word of comfort from the bread of life.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. 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.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

As Paul writes these words under the inspiration of God to the established church at Corinth he shows his heart for ministry. He was no stranger to pain and suffering and his words to the Corinthians are a timeless truth and timely for those who find themselves as sufferers in a fallen world.

Today I will make three quick biblical points about comfort in the face of trying times.

First, we see the source of comfort. Vs. 3

Who is the source of comfort? God! He is the God of all comfort. The word comfort means “a calling to ones aid,” or in this context a calling to God’s side.

Can you imagine the great comfort in knowing that regardless of the circumstances you are drawn to the side of the Sovereign over Creation? God comforts His children by His ever present presence.

Are you walking at the side of the Lord God? I sure hope so because He is the only source of true and eternal comfort. However, walking along of side God can only take place through reconciliation to Him found by faith in Christ Jesus alone.

Second, we see the reason for comfort. Vs. 4

This world however perfect it was in creation has fallen due to mankind’s sinful rebellion. Because of the fallen nature of mankind all of earth is in brokenness. We hurt physically and emotionally, those in Christ Jesus and those outside of His loving arms. As God calls us to His side comforting us He is also teaching us a valuable lesson in faith. First to trust Him and second is the experience of His faithfulness.

God is faithful at all times and now that we have seen His faithfulness during times of affliction we are called to share our experience walking alongside Him with others who are going through what we have gone through. As God comforted us He will comfort them. As we walked alongside God we are to walk alongside them.

You see, through our experience God allows us the blessing of being partakers of administering His comfort. We see the vertical and horizontal relationship here, walking with God and with man.

The great preacher Warren Wiersbe once said, “we cannot lead others where we have not been ourselves.”

Are you using your experiences to bring people to the knowledge of the God of all comfort and partaking in His ministry of comforting?

Third and finally, we see the abundance of comfort. Vs. 5

The trials, pains, and sufferings of this world are excessively present. For both the Christian and non-Christian. But for the Christian the sufferings of THIS WORLD can be intense, meaning we are not excluded from suffering. Ask Bro. Paul about suffering! He bore the sufferings of Christ on his back (see Chapter 11) but we have a great promise in Him found in these verses. No matter how great an abundance of sufferings in this world, our comfort in the God of all comfort abounds in Christ Jesus.

The word abounds means “in Excess” so the comfort found in Jesus is so plentiful that there will be leftovers. His comfort is over and beyond the sufferings.

Friends let me wrap this up for you in a nice neat package tied with a bow.

During times of suffering turn to the Lord’s side and when your friends suffer turn to their side. The grace of God is more than sufficient to bring the comfort and peace needed to deal with a lifetime of pain.

Blessings to you and may God’s grace abound in your life,

The traveling salesman and his Bible.