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 receive from God.
1 Corinthians
1:3-4
Do you face troubles? Are there some things in your life right now
that you wish weren’t there? Maybe they
are health issues, you are not as healthy as you once were. You have some things going on that you’re
seeking treatment for, and praying that God will take it away. Perhaps you have some financial burdens, it
seems our expenses keep rising faster than our income. Perhaps you have another trouble in your life
that is causing a great deal of frustration, even grief, but you can’t seem to
get by it.
Whatever the trouble, anxiety, or grief
may be, 1 Corinthians 1:3-4 can help us through. We can see three things from this passage
that can be helpful. First we see that
God is God, and He is someone to be praised.
“Praise be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ.” We can
praise God in our trouble, we can look to Him for help. Because He is truly the Father of Compassion.
Next we see that God is also the God of all comfort. Whatever our trouble, there is comfort from
the Lord that can help us through that trouble.
In fact, this passage contains a promise that in Him, we will find
comfort in all our troubles. No matter
what the trouble, no matter the cause of our stress and anxiety, we can find
comfort from God. God will not turn His
back on us in our times of trouble. We
may turn our backs on God, but God will always be with us in our troubles,
offering the compassion and comfort we most need.
Finally, we get a glimpse of a possible
reason God might have allowed this trouble into our lives. He comforts us in all troubles, so that we
can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we receive from God. Why is this trouble in our life? Perhaps it’s so that you may learn empathy
for others going through the same or similar troubles as yourself. Perhaps so that you can reach out in
compassion to others suffering the same way you have.
Who better to talk to single moms, than
another single mom? Who better to talk
to someone who has gone through the loss of a loved one, than someone who has
lost a loved one? Who better to talk to
someone battling cancer than someone who has won the battle themselves?
The things that you have gone through,
while difficult, have prepared you to talk to others in ways that few others
can. And God wants to use that to bring comfort
to others, and to bring others to Himself.
