Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:1-7 (CEB)
From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother.
To God’s church that is in Corinth, along with all of God’s people throughout Achaia.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s comfort in trouble
3 May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! He is the compassionate Father and God of all comfort. 4 He’s the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God. 5 That is because we receive so much comfort through Christ in the same way that we share so many of Christ’s sufferings. 6 So if we have trouble, it is to bring you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is to bring you comfort from the experience of endurance while you go through the same sufferings that we also suffer. 7 Our hope for you is certain, because we know that as you are partners in suffering, so also you are partners in comfort.
What does this passage mean to me/us?
Contributed by Kelly Silva
I feel this passage means that suffering may not always be a bad thing, and that at some point, we will experience consolation as well. Through the grace of God, we were promised both suffering and consolation. God wants to work through us and we sometimes need to suffer to fully give our lives to God.
This passage starts with an introduction from Paul as an apostle. He writes “by the will of God” meaning he was made an apostle not by choice but by the will of God. He then goes in to remind us that we are children of God, as we were taught by saying, “from God our Father.” Paul starts his letter by praising God saying, “Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” He writes about the people being able to bring comfort to those who need it. By doing this, we are following God’s will. Paul then shares about his sufferings and how they were the sufferings of Christ in him. Jesus was never distant from Paul as Paul was living Christ’s sufferings. God has a desire that we would be enduring through suffering; to achieve a goal through suffering. However, we are not only promised suffering. We are also promised consolation. God also worked through Paul this way.
Prayer
Dear God, we may not always understand why we go through suffering. We may feel angry or scared or confused. We may forget that for You to live in us, we must at times suffer. But we need to remind ourselves that it is for good and You will soon be living through us in consolation. It is hard to remember these things but we are children of You and You live in us. Please help us to remember that we are living Christ’s suffering and it is not a punishment from You. The hard times will get easier if we continue to love You. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen
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