The surprising connection of affliction and suffering with comfort
By Dean Collins
Reading the Bible does not make me comfortable.
In fact, I am often quite uncomfortable when I read Scripture. Of course, I am sometimes in great need of comfort and I often find comfort with certain familiar verses that connect me to God’s mercy and love. Sometimes verses from the Psalms or the Gospels bring me into God’s presence where I find comfort in prayer.
But when I read Scripture I constantly find verses that challenge my thinking and, more specifically, my behavior or lack of action. I get uncomfortable at the reminder that the kingdom of God is different from the many kingdoms on earth demanding our attention or allegiance.
The Bible and comfort
A quick online search reveals that the Bible uses the word comfort somewhere between 60 and 100 times in various forms. In the opening 11 verses of 2 Corinthians, Paul uses the word 10 times. That is an unusually high number of uses for just one word. The church at Corinth was a bit of a mess. They had struggles with unity, doctrine, false teachers, and sexual sin. Many, frankly, didn’t like Paul and had been on a mission to discredit him for some time. It’s to these brothers and sisters in Christ that Paul writes comforting words, even knowing he had some hard topics to address in his letter.
As you read the first 11 verses of chapter 1 you note that Paul is quick to connect affliction and comfort. I suspect you’d agree that seldom would we choose to be afflicted in order to offer someone comfort. Paul takes a different approach. His comment: “The God of all comfort who comforts us in all affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort we ourselves are comforted by God.”
A God of comfort
Paul said God is a God of comfort. Some in culture want to dismiss God altogether, claiming him to be some evil puppeteer who insists on controlling people. Some see him simply as a rule giver, unnecessary to a culture that is progressing. But Paul’s experience (and I suspect yours as well) testifies to the fact that God is always sending us comfort through his Word, by his Spirit, and through each other who believe in him and know his Son, Jesus.
Paul wants the church in Corinth and, frankly, the church everywhere to understand that when we choose to follow Jesus we will experience affliction—maybe often. This happens when we follow Jesus to serve people who are in need. To serve the least of these as Jesus said moves us into barren and hard places. To love another who may be going through hardship may require us to give some of our resources away instead of holding on to them for our comfort now or to be comfortable later.
Affliction and comfort
On some days I may complain about the challenges and difficulties of leadership because of very hard decisions I must make or because resources seem to be lacking. But looking back, I can easily agree with Paul that affliction has taught me that I cannot and must not rely on self but rather depend on God. From him comes the wisdom, strength, and every resource I need to live my life and serve others in the places where God has placed me.
As you consider Paul’s opening lines of 1 Corinthians, give them a fresh look. I have taken these verses and arranged them in a way that may help us see and experience the power of the Word of God for us in a fresh way:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
The Father of mercies
The God of all comfort
Who comforts us in all our affliction
So that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction
With the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
As we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings
Through Christ, we share abundantly in comfort too.
If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation
If we are comforted, it is for your comfort
Which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings we have.
Our hope for you is unshaken,
For we know that as you share in our sufferings
You also share in our comfort.
We do not want you to be unaware of the affliction we experienced in Asia.
We were burdened beyond our strength.
We despaired of life itself.
We felt that we had received the death sentence.
But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raised the dead.
He delivered us from deadly peril
And he will deliver us.
On him we set our hope
That he will deliver us again.
You must help us by prayer
So that many will give thanks on our behalf
For the blessings granted us through the prayers of many.
Your time with God’s Word
2 Corinthians 1:3-11 ESV
Photo by Rosie Sun at Unsplash
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