El Señor del Consuelo (The Lord of Comfort)
Recently I’ve been reading through Paul’s letters to the early churches and I wanted to share a little bit of what stuck out to me while I was reading. This particular morning I was read ing 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 and it says,
“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 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. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ, we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.”
Here Paul was addressing his fellow believers in Corinth, encouraging them in their faith. In verse 5 Paul says, “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ, we share abundantly in comfort too.”. Paul reminds us that even though we suffer as Christ did, we also are comforted through Christ as well. That’s how God designed it. Christ is our comfort. This means that if we struggle, comfort will come, and Jesus will answer. Yes, suffering is inevitable but so is comfort! Christ will comfort us. We can trust that. In verse 4 God is called the Father of mercies who comforts us in all affliction, all trouble. This is who He is.
I think sometimes when you’ve been struggling for a while, you forget that pain, sadness, and worry are not more consistent than relief, joy, and peace. It feels the opposite. This verse tells us that that is not true. Ecclesiastes 3, tells us that there is a time for everything, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance. Just as sure as you weep, laughter will come again. Just as sure as you mourn, you will dance again. Comfort will come.
It’s even more beautiful because verse four goes on to say, “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.”. That same comfort that God gave us, God uses to comfort others! How beautiful is that? God wants you to use the same encouragement you received to comfort others! Remember the conversation where you felt seen? The poem or song that spoke just the right thing when you didn’t have the words? The well-timed verse or testimony that made you realize you weren’t as alone as you felt? Everything that God used to comfort you is for others as well.
This also shifted the way I view suffering. Instead of focusing on what I’m going through, I asked God to help me look at him and how he was going to use it. It also assured me that I was growing through tough times and they weren’t forever. Why? Because if I have to comfort someone else through the comfort God has given me, that means that what I’m feeling isn’t going to last forever. It has to end because we are only able to comfort others through what God has comforted us with. I will feel relief and share that relief with someone else. I will dwell in peace and share what settled my mind with someone else. I will jump for joy, and be able to pull someone else up with me. Often times when I struggled, I struggled to believe that light was possible again. When I talked to others and heard their shared struggles and their testimonies, it reminded me that light did come out of the darkness.
So for those who are struggling, be assured, because comfort is as definite as what you’re feeling. It will end. Christ is on the way to comfort you. Don’t worry.
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For those feeling depressed…
I have felt depression that felt like it had no end. It made me feel lost in a sense of sadness that I did not know how to get out of. Let me encourage you, it did end. Here is my comfort. God is bigger than where you are, He is outside of it, so even if you feel lost and out of control he is stable. He will help you and he will get you out. Hold on to him. It helped lead me out. Read In the Heights & In the Depths (Psalms 139).
For anyone feeling like they cannot get a sturdy footing in peace, joy, freedom, etc.…
As I embarked on freedom, I struggled to feel stable in my peace, or in my joy, or in my hope. I felt like I could slip back into it at any moment despite how much I had already overcome. I struggled to maintain the freedom I had already received. In Psalms 40:1-2, God promises to pull you out of the unsteadiness and place your feet on a solid rock and make your feet secure. That solid rock is himself. He does not change or shift like shadows. Furthermore, it says He will do these things, not us. It isn’t up to you to steady yourself. Read Steady Me (Psalms 40:1-2).
For those who feel overwhelmed by feelings of anxiety…
If I am honest today I struggled with this one too. One thing that comforts me is that God cares for me. Whatever I am worried about, the Lord cares and wants to help me with it. From the teeny tiniest seemingly trivial thing, God cares. I really challenged myself today to remember that everything is going to be okay. God sees everything that is on your mind and he always works everything out. So believe that he has the best your best interest at heart. This is something I am growing in today.
—- prayer
Friend, Father, Beloved,
Thank you for helping to comfort us. Thank you that we never have to be afraid of suffering because we know that you will always be there. The most faithful. Lord if we don’t know, I thank you for your love and patience as we learn to know. Jesus, help us look beyond the actual event and circumstances of suffering and toward your purpose for it, your heart in it. I love you,
In JESUS name, Amen <3
