The Comfort Channel

June 29, 2020

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. 2 Corinthians 1:3-6 NLT

King Solomon penned his “last will and testament” of sorts in the Book of Ecclesiastes, after he had experienced all that life had to offer. Scholars say it was approximately 935 B.C., perhaps after 30 years into his reign, and he now had a wide perspective on his life. It was a time of reflection for him. Materially, he had everything a person could ever want. He had unlimited wisdom, wealth, power, wine and exotic foods, and the highs of entertainment. He had experienced many relationships. As he looked back on his life, and the experiences of others, one of the conclusions he drew was that life without comfort for one’s soul is not worth living. “It would be better,” he said, “to have never been born than to live life bereft of deep soul comfort.”

Years later the apostle Paul wrote the second letter to the Corinthians at about 55 A.D. When he met Christ, he willingly gave up the pursuit of prestige and power to which Solomon devoted himself. He learned the same lessons as Solomon did, only less painfully because of his devotion to Christ.

Paul said the soul comfort we need is founded in our relationship with our Father God. He is merciful and the source of all comfort. He said God doesn’t simply pour out comfort on us according to our needs. He elevates us as He comforts us, and makes our suffering have significance. We become channels of comfort to other people when they are suffering. Have you noticed how that works? When you are deeply pained, God comforts you, often through the friendships of other people who have been through the same sort of thing and have found God’s comfort and wisdom to be what they need. Then, it seems as though others who experience the same kind of pain and sorrow you experienced come into your life. You are able to comfort them with what you learned and received. This comfort channel is the way the family of God works.

We don’t need to worry that we will ever face anything that will be more than we can handle. Paul experienced all kinds of hardships, multiple situations where comfort was desperately needed. His assurance is that the more we suffer for Christ, the more His comfort is showered on us through Christ. He assured his friends in Corinth and us today as well that when one of us suffers or is weighed down with troubles, it will never be wasted. As we are channels of the abundant comfort God gives us, the channel of comfort will go into action. All of us will benefit as God pours His strength and comfort on us through our relationships. We are sources of salvation and comfort to each other!
The relationships we have with God and His people are so incredibly powerful. Because of the channel of comfort we enjoy, we can be assured that we can patiently endure anything, with certainty that we will overcome.

• How has the channel of comfort worked in your life? Who has comforted you and to whom have you passed on the comfort?
• Pray: Ask God to bring to your mind anyone in your life right now who needs comfort you can give.
• If you need comfort, ask God to direct you to the right people. Trust God. Ask Him to shower you with comfort, and wait in hope.