Where can we find comfort in troubled times? ∙∙
[God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. – 2 Corinthians 1:4
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.
4 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.
5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.
6 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.
7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.
Physical Resistance Training
Modern medicine highlights the benefits of resistance training for overall health. This form of exercise involves pushing muscles beyond their comfort zone by working against an opposing force, employing gradual, progressive overload. Over time, this process strengthens muscles, increases endurance, and improves physical efficiency.
Resistance training causes micro-tears in muscle fibers, which are repaired and rebuilt stronger than before. The physiological benefits include:
• Lower blood pressure
• Increased metabolism
• Improved bone density
• Better balance
• Enhanced quality of life
Simply put, resistance training is a strategy to build strength and resilience.
Spiritual Resistance Training
What is true in the physical realm often mirrors the spiritual realm. How does the Father enhance the spiritual strength of the children of the King? He uses spiritual resistance training to strengthen His children. Rather than using isometric or endurance exercises, the Father employs suffering, trials, and affliction. These challenges, when met with faith, build spiritual endurance, effectiveness, and the ability to comfort others.
As William Barclay noted, “The Christian is the athlete of God whose spiritual muscles become stronger from the discipline of difficulties.” Rutherford observes, “It is always costly to be a real Christian, for Christianity is not true Christianity without the cross.” Similarly, Paul expressed this in Philippians 3:10: I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death.
The Father’s Comfort and Transformation
The apostle Paul experienced a profound and unexpected transformation through his struggles. He recognized that:
• Suffering draws us closer to the Father’s comfort.
• Trials break us down, but the Father rebuilds us with joy, peace, and hope.
• Comfort is transferable.
• The comfort Paul received equipped him to comfort others in their sorrows. This cycle of encouragement has been passed down for generations.
In other words, Paul became a comforter. The Father’s comfort has been paid forward for 2000 years. In an extraordinary, mystical way, Paul identifies with our sorrows. In turn, the children of the King can identify with and experience the comfort that the Father provides.
Paul praises the Father as the “God of all comfort”, who equips His children to be agents of His encouragement to others. Paul recognizes that Christ’s sufferings become the sufferings of each child of the King. “He recognizes that the purpose of his ongoing experience of divine comfort was to equip him to be an agent of God’s bountiful comfort and encouragement to those facing any kind of distress” (NIGTC).
As Charles Stanley reminds us, “When trials hit, we can always be sure that God will come to our aid. Why? It’s His nature.”
REFLECT & PRAY
Pain and emotional pain and suffering are inevitable in a fallen world, but they are also opportunities for growth and more profound connection with the Father.
Father, during my struggles, encourage me to draw near to You, and please draw near to me. I long to experience the sweet embrace of Your delightful comfort and warmth.
INSIGHT
The Purpose of Suffering
The Father does not waste suffering, and neither should we. While His reasons are not always revealed, His purpose extends beyond the pain we endure.
2 Corinthians 1:4 reminds us: “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.”
Paul pulls back the curtain a bit on the human experience of suffering and provides a partial answer to the question, “Why do we suffer?” When we experience life’s difficulties, Father has a personalized comfort and care plan prepared for each child of the King. It is not random or meaningless. We are never alone in our struggles.
The Lord Jesus Christ reminds us in John 16:33: “I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Suffering Builds Endurance
Life for the children of the King is a battleground, filled with challenges and enigmas. Yet, suffering itself becomes a tool for spiritual growth.
2 Corinthians 1:6 says, “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.”
The Greek word for endurance is hupomone. The essence of hupomone “is not a grim, bleak, or fatalistic resignation to suffering.” Instead, hupomone “empowers us to triumph over our troubles.” Children of the King “do not merely endure suffering; they overcome it.”
Choosing the Colors of Suffering
As Barclay noted, suffering may color life, but we can choose the color. The events of our lives are sketched on the canvas of time, and through our relationship with the Father, we influence the textures and hues. It can be dull, drab, boring, or depressing. Or it can be bright, cheerful, upbeat, and filled with confident expectation.
But there’s more. Tim Challies wisely concludes, “A sick bed often teaches more than a sermon, and suffering first teaches us about our sin and sinfulness. Suffering also teaches us about ourselves, for in times of health and prosperity, all seems to be well, and we are both humble and grateful. Still, in suffering, we come to see the ingratitude and rebellion of our hearts. We can best see the ugly face of sin and the reality of spiritual childishness in the mirror of suffering.”
James 4:8 encourages: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Suffering, when viewed through the lens of faith, becomes a transformative process. It builds endurance, deepens our relationship with the Father, and equips us to comfort others with the same comfort we have received.
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© Dr. H 2025
Dr H Reflections 