Suffering Comfort

Suffering Comfort

© Phyllis D. Jolliff

II Corinthians 1:3-7 (NIV)

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.  If we are distressed, 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 we suffer.  And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.”

Ever wonder why God allows Christians to suffer?  I have!  I think it’s just human nature to think that Christians should have some kind of “Trial Guard” to keep the trials and sufferings away.  But God NEVER said it would be easy.  Even Jesus and the apostles had seriously rough times.  Are we any better?  Of course not.

I look back over my life and the trials that I have gone through, and I remember asking God in those times, “Why me, Lord?”  I just couldn’t seem to understand why I had to suffer through the things that came into my life.  But I’ve realized over the years that God has used those sufferings in me so that I am able to comfort others going through similar trials.  I know now why God replied, “Why not you?”

This is exactly what the scripture in II Corinthians 1:3-7 is talking about.  We suffer through the trials of life, gaining our comfort from the Great Comforter, Jesus Christ, so that we might be better equipped to comfort others going through similar sufferings.  As Christians, we know Who to go to when we suffer.  But how many people do you know that don’t know Who is in control?  God granted us His comfort so that we, in turn, could comfort those around us.

Oftentimes, Christians forget that God is still on His throne and still in control when they are suffering through a trial or tragedy.  As fellow Christians, we are to be there to remind them and offer that comfort that we have known.  Sometimes it just takes a simple hug, an arm around the shoulder, a hand on the back of a weeping friend.  Maybe a quiet, “I’m here.” is all they need at the time.  Rarely will we find a person needing to be reminded that “all things work together for good” when they are in the midst of a tragedy.  While we know that to be fact, they will comfort more from knowing that we feel their pain and suffer with them.

Will trials and tragedy still hurt?  Of course!  Even Jesus wept when His friend, Lazarus, died.  But we can grow through those trials by being a comfort to one another.  Comforting is not always easy.  It may bring back memories of the trials we’ve faced.  But it is ALWAYS worth the suffering.

Share God’s comfort with someone today!