Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, – 2 Corinthians 1:3
Are you or a loved one overwhelmed in some way? Have you exhausted your personal resources? Are you at the end of yourself? Are you wondering why God would allow you to be overwhelmed? What is the purpose of our overwhelming burdens? Is there a purpose in being overwhelmed? Are you at your limit and asking, no demanding, “I want answers!” There are answers for those who are overwhelmed. Read on if you want to make sense of your overwhelming burdened life.
Someone has said, “God never gives us more than we can handle.” Biblically, that is a bogus statement. It simply is not true. God tells us in His word that sometimes intentionally and purposely He allows or gives us more than we can handle. Why would God do that? Why would God allow overwhelming burdens in our lives? There is a purpose for being overwhelmed. That is what we will discuss in our study.
In Psalms it states:
Psalm 66:10-12 – For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. 11 You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. 12 You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.
The idea that God doesn’t always work for us to be comfortable in life cuts against much of the superficial Milktoast theology in churches today. God’s priority for our lives, if we are to believe His word, is not that life be easy, trouble free, and without worry. God’s priority is to bring us “out to rich fulfillment.” God’s priority is to prepare us for eternity with Him. That involves some sculpting of us on His part and surgery is never painless. But sometimes pain is the pathway to great gain. It is in those times when we are overburdened, when God allows or even orchestrates burdens in our lives that are too much for us to handle, that we find eternal gold. That gold comes in experiencing the presence of God and His comfort. If we didn’t experience burdens, we would never have a reason to seek Him out for His comfort. Burdens bring us closer to God. That is His purpose in allowing the burdens of our lives.
In the first chapter of Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth he speaks of the comfort of God in trying circumstances. Comfort is the assurance and sense of hope felt by a person who is suffering as another person comes to help them get through their trial or tribulation. Because God loves us deeply, He is ever vigilant to watch over us. When He sees us in need or hurting, He comes along side of us to help us.
It has been said, “A person’s extremities are God’s opportunities.” There is a reason God permits difficulties. There is a reason God allows us to get to the end of ourselves. It is when we get to the end of ourselves that we are in a position to receive the deep working of God. Overwhelming burdens are often the means by which our heart is laid bare and fully open to God. That can prove painful, but it is the path to the more profound truths of God and experiencing Jesus. There is a profound intimacy with Jesus found in the “fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10).
“Comfort” is experiencing the closeness of God in trying times. There are times in life when the only one who can help and ease the pain, is the One True God. It is in times of overwhelming burdens that we experience the reality of the comforting presence of God. When God is there, everything else becomes secondary and superficial. We can search the world through and look deep within ourselves or to other people; we can search other religions and other gods and look for sources of comfort, but the ONLY comfort that is going to truly be worth anything is the comfort that is from the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. God is the Initiator and Author of comfort for the weary soul.
Paul says we should bless God for His comfort:
2 Corinthians 1:3 – 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
We need to praise God for His comfort. But before we can praise God for His comfort we need to realize that He is the Source of all comfort. And He is the Source of all true comfort because only He can truly empathize and see our every individual circumstance with all the unique hidden variables.
Only God can know what we are thinking and what we are going through in our minds when we’re experiencing intense pain, hopelessness, or severe life circumstances. Even when we have difficulty expressing what we are thinking and what our own emotions are during a trial, the Holy Spirit strengthens us (Romans 8:26). When we are beyond words, the Holy Spirit helps us with groans of deep communication. Sometimes it is nearly impossible for others to understand us or for us to understand what others are going through. Because of this ignorance we are limited when we come alongside someone to offer comfort. And others are limited when they come alongside us to comfort us. That is why we need to seek God and invite Him into the situation where comfort is needed. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter.
God knows all things including our thoughts. He is literally the Heart-knower (Acts 15:8-9). God knows our life circumstances and He will bring us through if we seek His help (Job 23:10). He knows the secrets of our hearts (Psalm 44:21). He is able to look into the darkness and expose secrets (Daniel 2:22). God knows our limits and He takes pity on us and is moved by His loving heart of compassion to reach down and help us through His comfort (Psalm103:13-14). He knows those who trust in Him (Nahum 1:7) and He knows the proud in heart and holds them at a distance until they are humbled (Psalm 138:6; 1 Peter 5:5-7).
And God is not merely a passive bystander. God acts on what He knows about us. He is the “the Father of mercies” (1:3), that means He has a deep desire to come along side people to help them in their time of need. When Paul used the phrase “Father of” he was using an idiom that expresses the idea of being the originator of. Satan is referred to as the “father of lies” because lies and falsehood originate with him (John 8:44). God is “the Father of mercies” because all mercy originates with Him and only He is in the sovereign position to grant mercy.
Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting what you don’t deserve. Because God is the Judge of the universe He sets down the holy law which all creatures must obey. He is the One who establishes, sets the standard of, and upholds justice. A day is coming when the world will be judged in righteousness (Psalm 9:7; 96:13; 98:9; Acts 17:31). And all humankind has sinned against God by breaking His holy laws and is deserving of the death penalty (Romans 3:10, 23; 6:23a). But God is rich in mercy and has made a way for us to escape the death sentence and do so righteously (Ephesians 2:4-7). He sent His only Son Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). When we turn from our sin and seek God’s forgiveness based on faith in Jesus’ complete work on the cross and not our own efforts, God in His mercy forgives us (Lamentations 3:22-23; Romans 5:1-2; 6:23). And in His grace He blesses us by giving us what we don’t deserve, an abundant life (John 10:10; Romans 5:17, 20-21; 8:29; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Timothy 1:12-17). That life includes comfort, even when we don’t deserve it.
When Paul describes God as the “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” he points us to His ultimate act of loving comfort producing intervention on behalf of all sinful humanity, the sending of His only Son Jesus to redeem and save the lost. It is this redemption that is the core and concrete foundation of all comfort that God gives. Such love should assure us that if God went as afar as the cross, His love and comfort is limitless (Romans 8:31-32). In our times of overwhelming, we can rest assured that even then, He is for us.
God is the “God of all comfort” which we can understand to mean that any comfort that is worth anything comes from God. Remember, “comfort” (Greek paraklesis) is the assurance and sense of hope felt by a person who is suffering as another comes to help them get through their trial or tribulation. PARAKLESIS is a compound word made of para which means “beside” or “next to” and klesis which means “to call.” Therefore the word comfort means to call to one’s side. To comfort someone is to come alongside the person who is calling for help. To be comforted is to call someone alongside you for help.
When we say that God is the God of all comfort it means that God moves people to come along side others in need to comfort them. But most importantly, it means He Himself comes along side people to comfort them. While He is especially attuned and responsive to those who specifically call out to Him for comfort, He also initiates comfort by coming along side those in need who are not calling out to Him. But He will not force His comfort upon anyone. If a person rejects the comfort; of God, God will not impose His comfort, he will merely pass by. It is sad to think there are people in need who could be comforted but who sacrifice that comfort by rejecting God and His comfort.
We need to qualify this above statement in the sense that some who offer comfort are not from God. Not all “comfort” is from God. The devil does not fight fairly. When we are weak and suffering, he ruthlessly tries to take advantage. There is a false or pseudo “comfort” that is not from God. Some who come along side those in need are looking to profit, deceive, and take advantage of those in need. Satan is a liar, a murderer and deceiver (John 8:44). Those Satan uses come as angels of light; they are deceptive (2 Corinthians 11:13-14). Satan looks at people in vulnerable positions and seeks to lead them further astray and into a web of deception that will secure their souls for his devilish purposes. How do we know what comfort is truly from God? Any and all comfort that comes from God will ultimately lead the needy person to God and His word. Any “comfort” that presents itself as a substitute for God or an alternative to God is not from God and will be counterproductive.
This doesn’t mean medical attention is not of God. The prophet Isaiah was directed by God to use a poultice to heal king Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:21). There are times when medicine is part of God’s plans. But we need to be prayerfully discerning. We live in a society overwhelmingly influenced by a big pharmaceutical culture. Sometimes a pill is not the answer to our needs. Sometimes a pill can so cloud our judgment and perception that it becomes counterproductive. Again, we need to draw close to the Lord in overwhelming times and seek His discernment and wisdom. In such times where such decisions are being made, the comfort is often received from a godly counselor God provides.
God is the God of all comfort that is good and good comfort is comfort that leads people to the Lord. Therefore, if our ambition is to comfort others, we need to point them to the Lord through His word. If we are to become effective comforters, we need to usher people to Jesus. The comforting help we are looking for comes from God (Psalm 121:1-2).
The Purpose of the Comfort that Comes from God
2 Corinthians 1:4 – 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
This verse tells us that the purpose of God’s comfort is to first comfort us. God is a personal God who deals with us in a one-to-one relationship. When we are in need and call out to Him, He hears us and comforts us. His comfort will get us through. But God’s comfort does not stop there. Indeed if we are to be fully comforted we must take the next step.
This verse also tells us that Christians go through trials and tribulations. There are some who teach that Christians should never be sick, never have problems, and never experience trials. That is just not true nor is it in touch with reality. Any Christian who has been a Christian for any length of time realizes that Christians go through trials. Jesus taught that in this world we have tribulation saying:
John 16:33 – 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
As we study this epistle of Paul’s we will see a very vivid picture of the reality of trials in the believer’s life. Thankfully, what is just as real as the trials in our life is the comfort that comes from God that makes us, through Christ, able to “overcome the world.”
The purpose of God’s comfort is also to equip us to comfort others. God does desire to comfort us, and some trials can be literally or figuratively halting stifling us from making immediate response. But God’s comfort seeks to get us out of ourselves and back into the battle raging around us. God comforts us so that we will be equipped to comfort others with the comfort we’ve received. This is a very important point to guard against our falling into depression or self-pity. Often our tendency in trials or trouble is to turn inward and reclusive. We ask, “Why me?” Sometimes we become so introspective and myopic that we stifle any positive spiritual building God desires to do to bring good from a bad situation (Romans 8:28-29). One of the best ways to get yourself out of a depression is to reach out to serve others in a ministry of comfort.
Paul’s uses two different words to describe the difficulties that require God’s comfort. The word “tribulation” (also translated “trouble”) is from the Greek term THLIPSIS which means literally, “pressure” and is translated by the words, “afflicted (-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.” The origin of this word is interesting. The “pressure” referred to here is pressure exerted on a person to get them to confess a wrong. When a person was arrested and accused of an offense but refused to confess that offense authorities would lay them down on the ground with a flat board placed over them. The flat board was put on them to distribute weight evenly over their body. Then large heavy stone weights would be put on the board. As the person on the ground took a breath, the weight would sink down on them with a suffocating effect. The pressure upon them made it harder and harder to breathe and take another breath. This was done until the pressure literally squeezed the breath and truth out of them.
Trials come in bunches, and they weigh on us. Did you ever hear someone look at someone going through a difficult time and say, “They look as though they have the weight of the world on their shoulders”? Life can be a pressure cooker and when it is we need to call out to God to come along side of us to comfort us and get us through. On our own we can’t bear the pressure; with God we can withstand anything. When Martin Luther was taking a stand against the injustices, heresies, and corruption of the established church of his day the pressures were immense and heavy. At times it seemed like all the world was aligned against him. When that impression was brought to his attention he said, “One with God is a majority.” Luther got comfort from his personal relationship with God and knowing the truth of God’s word. When we stand with God and His word, nothing can defeat us.
Paul uses another word in his letter that is closely associated with THLIPSIS to describe hardship, that word is THLIBO which means, “to crowd” and is translated, “afflict, narrow, throng, and suffer tribulation, trouble.” Again the idea is to be overcrowded with difficulties. Trials seldom come in neatly tied packages; they usually come in chaotic clusters that hit us from every direction. In such times comfort is God coming along side us and settling us down as we give and entrust the chaos to Him.
During the Last Supper Jesus spoke to His disciples and commended that they had been with Him from the beginning and even His trials and that they would be rewarded (Luke 22:28-30). But Jesus warned them of what was to follow that fateful night. He particularly warned Peter of Satan’s desire to destroy him and said:
Luke 22:31-32 – 31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
It was after these words that Peter said he was ready to go with Jesus to prison and even death. Jesus told Peter that he would deny Jesus three times later that night. The above words give us an idea of the nature of Satan’s attacks. To sift is to pour through or squeeze through a hole; in other words Jesus was telling Peter Satan was going to put the pressure on him. Jesus’ words that followed this fearsome warning must have proved to be a comfort to Peter. To know Jesus had prayed and would pray for him that his faith would not fail was a comfort. And then to hear too that he would return to Jesus and when he did he should strengthen his brothers; that must have been a comfort too. In fact, these words must have been the comfort and driving force behind Peter’s later reconciliation and reinstatement by Jesus after the resurrection (John 21).
Whatever the trial, whatever the pressure, Jesus is able to come along side us and help us. Sometimes He does that Himself (Matthew 11:28-30) and sometimes He does that by way of other believers (2 Corinthians 1:11; 2:7-8; 7:6-7; Galatians 6:2), but the comfort of God is able to make you strong and help you to withstand any pressure you encounter. Just call out to Him and trust Him and He will get you through.
The Power of the Comfort that Comes from God
2 Corinthians 1:5 – 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.
Paul was an Apostle. That did not mean he was immune to trials and hurts that burdened him. In fact, his calling as an Apostle put him in the cross hairs of enemies, both foreign and domestic.
God’s comfort is powerful because it is totally sufficient; whatever the need, it is adequate to meet that need. Being a Christian brings us into contact with the inevitable “sufferings of Christ” that “abound in us” (Matthew 5:11; Colossians 1:24). Because we belong to Jesus, we have a target on our back that the enemy Satan is aiming at all the time and in numerous ways. But the thing to notice here is that just as suffering in Christ abounds, God’s “consolation [i.e. comfort] also abounds through Christ.” God’s comfort matches and surpasses any suffering we encounter in this life as a result of our association with Jesus. That is what makes the comfort of God so powerful.
We need to mention here that the “sufferings of Christ” that Paul mentions we share in does not mean that we share in His atoning work. Only Jesus is our atoning Substitute on the cross; only He is worthy and credentialed and qualified for such a work (1 Peter 2:21-25). What Paul is referring to here is what he calls elsewhere, “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10), trials we endure because of our association with Jesus and living out His will in life (Matthew 5:10-12).
The “sufferings” Paul speaks of here are the emotional pressures and strains connected with hardship in life. “Sufferings” is a translation of the Greek term PATHEMA. This is a word that refers to suffering, misfortune, calamity, evil, or afflictions. The suffering Jesus experienced in His redemptive work had an emotional aspect to it (1 Peter 1:11; 5:1). We can feel physical pain, but with physical pain comes emotional pain too. There is emotional pain in a long rehabilitation process. There is emotional pain in having an impending trial drag on before us. Threats cause emotional pain and suffering that equal and can even exceed physical pains. The enemy often attacks us in our minds. He tortures us with threats and negative possibilities that if addressed in our own strength can stifle and paralyze us from ministry and life.
The word “abound” is a translation of the Greek term PERISSEUO which means, “to superabound in quantity or quality, be in excess.”[1] This word is used regarding suffering and the comfort of God in this verse. Therefore, we see here that at times our suffering seems almost too much, but that God’s comfort is always more than enough. God’s comfort is always sufficient, always more than adequate to get us through hardship and trials. That truth stated by Paul and promise of God is comforting in and of itself. And Paul was a reliable source because he spoke from experience.
Another truth is that God does not give us the grace and comfort we need before we need it. God gives us comfort at the point of need. He waits until we come to Him for help and then He pours out His comfort on us (Hebrews 4:16; James 4:6). God wants us to come to a point where we are trusting “the God who raises the dead.”
How was it Paul was able to endure so much? Paul was able to endure affliction, persecution, and deep troubles because he knew intimately the comfort that comes from God. Remember, it was in Corinth where Paul was comforted by Jesus who said to him one night:
Acts 18:9-10 – 9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”
Jesus would not have told Paul to not be afraid unless Paul was afraid. Sometimes we elevate the characters of scripture to a point where they cease to be human to us. We think Biblical people like the Apostles never felt fear or discouragement. But they did! They were human. Paul was fearful in Corinth, so fearful he apparently was going to stop proclaiming the gospel! Jesus told Paul not to keep silent, but to continue ministering. Paul was to persist in sharing the gospel. Paul faced a great deal of hardship, but this is the only place where we see him considering not speaking for the Lord. It was the comfort of Jesus who said, “I am with you,” and assured Paul by saying, “no one will attack you to hurt you.” Jesus substantiated His comforting words to Paul by saying, “for I have many people in this city.” Paul had just started the work in Corinth and even though there was a somewhat good response to his preaching (Acts 18:7-8), it would probably be hard to classify that response as “many people.” But Jesus was speaking omnisciently. Jesus knew the hearts of the Corinthians who would respond to the gospel and just how many there were. A church was planted and established there, a very spiritually talented church. It was not a church without flaws and problems, but it was a solid church, nonetheless. And all the good work and spiritual fruit that was harvested there was the direct result of the comfort of Christ brought that night to Paul who was encouraged to press on by Jesus.
The comfort of the Lord is more powerful than any fear or trepidation we face. God’s comfort is powerful and will get us through. God’s comfort got Paul through some fearful situations, and it will help us get through too.
The Priority of the Comfort that Comes from God
2 Corinthians 1:6-7 – 6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
The presence and inevitable encounter with suffering in life makes God’s comfort of primary importance to persevering through life. Suffering and trials are a part of life, and they cannot be avoided. You can’t buy your way out of hardship. You can’t run away from it. Rich people get sick, and cancer can be found on a desert island in the middle of nowhere. This may be scary or depressing to you, but it is the truth. And Paul tells us that because of the inevitability of suffering in this life, we ought to make God’s comfort a priority.
Paul understood that the suffering and affliction he encountered was for the good cause of furthering the gospel and saving souls such as the souls of the Corinthians (1:6). And he knew that the comfort that comes from God that sustained him would also sustain the Corinthians. This was a source of great “hope” for Paul (1:7).
The word “hope” is translated from the Greek term ELPIS which means, “to anticipate, usually with pleasure; expectation or confidence, hope.” [2] Paul was saying that he was confident that God’s comfort would get them through anything they would face in terms of suffering and affliction. And his hope he describes as “steadfast” (Greek BEBAIOS) it was “stable, firm, a force, steadfast and sure.” [3] That’s what the comfort that comes from God does, it gives us hope that He will get us through. For all of these things we should make the comfort that comes from God a priority in our lives.
The Credibility Produced by the Comfort that Comes from God
2 Corinthians 1:8-11 – 8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, 11 you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.
Going through trials and suffering and experiencing God’s comfort gives us credibility with those we are seeking to minister to. Because we have suffered and survived, we can speak and minister from a position of experience and credibility. Suffering suits us, or clothes us, equips us, to empathize with people in need. Empathy and experience are powerful tools in ministry and the God of all comfort seeks to use such tools to share His comfort. Paul is therefore establishing his credibility in part with the Corinthians by mentioning the severe troubles he had experienced in Asia (1:8).
The key phrase in these verses is, “we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead” (1:9). The answer to affliction and the solution to suffering is to get our eyes off of ourselves and our weakness and plight and get them onto God. Paul didn’t go into a deep depression and pity-party when he encountered troubles, he turned to the Lord for comfort. We need to understand that there are no accidents in life, but that God is sovereign over all things. That does not mean everything pleases the Lord, but it does mean that He controls and limits what does happen. It is because of the Lord that evil does not run unabated (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and desires that none perish (Ezekiel 18:32; 33:11).
The world we live in is fallen and the original beauty of it has been distorted by the planetary effects of sin (Romans 8:18-25). God allows sin to exist and take its course because to halt it would cut off opportunity for further salvation of souls (Lamentations 3:33; 2 Peter 3:9). No matter what, God remains in control.
The atheist and skeptic point to atrocities and evil in this world and scornfully say, “How could God even exist if such evil persists?” But God is in control. He allows sin and suffering because he patiently provides time for sinners to repent. Suffering is an unfortunate byproduct of Gods’ longsuffering with sinners to repent. Otherwise, they would be eternally doomed. That would be a much worse eternal fate than any earthly temporal suffering.
Satan could not afflict Job without God permission, but God allowed it for the greater good it would serve (Job 1-2; James 5:11). God is in control and the implications of that may be difficult for us to comprehend at times when we see all the pain and suffering in this world. But God is able to bring good out of the worst of circumstances (Romans 8:28). And one of the good things God brings from times of suffering and trials is that we learn to call out to Him and rely on the comfort that comes from God.
Paul speaks of the deliverance of God (1:10). God delivers us in different ways. Sometimes God delivers us from trials but sometimes He delivers us in or through trials. Warren Wiersbe explains this in the following way:
Paul saw God’s hand of deliverance whether he looked back, around, or ahead. The word Paul used means “to help out of distress, to save and protect.” God does not always deliver us immediately, or in the same way. James was beheaded, yet Peter was delivered from prison (Acts 12). Both were delivered, but in different ways. Sometimes God delivers us from our trials, and at other times He delivers us in our trials. God’s deliverance was in response to Paul’s faith, as well as to the faith of praying people in Corinth (2 Corinthians. 1:11) . . .. [4]
Turning to the Lord in our times of need is the first step and most important step to getting through difficulty. Once that lesson is learned we have grounds to share it with others who are going through trials. Once we learn that lesson we have something to share with those in trials. Before we learn that lesson we will fumble around with what words we think we should speak in a time of need or what to do. Experience teaches us that sometimes it is best to just quietly rest in the comfort that comes from God. Paul was able to help the Corinthians because he had learned the reliability of the comfort that comes from God. And having learned that in life, Paul had credibility with the Corinthians when he spoke of the comfort that comes from God.
God works in us before He works through us. The tools He often uses are trials and suffering. The Corinthians were able to empathize and relate to Paul and the comfort that comes from God because they had shared in it too. They understood what Paul was saying when he wrote about God who “delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, . . .” The Corinthians had apparently been delivered in trials too (2 Corinthians 1:7). Because they knew experientially the sufferings of Christ they were able to offer help to Paul with, “prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many” (1:11). Experiencing trials and the sufficiency of the comfort that comes from God gives us credibility to serve in crisis and help those in trials. God had worked in them so that He could work through them and the apostle Paul was the beneficiary.
We should praise God for the comfort that comes from Him. He comes along side of us to help us when we call out to Him in our time of need. He comforts us in a way that edifies and equips us to comfort others by pointing them to Him and His comfort. And the comfort that comes from God is powerful because it is sufficient and perfect for every situation and every need. Because of this we should make the comfort that comes from God our priority. The comfort that comes from God that we experience gives us credibility to help others in need. That is all the more reason to bless and praise the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.
[1]Strong, J. (1997, c1996). The new Strong’s dictionary of Hebrew and Greek words (electronic ed.) (G4052). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2]Strong, J. (1997, c1996). The new Strong’s dictionary of Hebrew and Greek words (electronic ed.) (G1680). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3]Strong, J. (1997, c1996). The new Strong’s dictionary of Hebrew and Greek words (electronic ed.) (G949). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[4]Wiersbe, W. W. (1996, c1989). The Bible exposition commentary. “An exposition of the New Testament comprising the entire ‘BE’ series”–Jkt. (2 Co 1:3). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.