The God of ALL Comfort

We can only give away what we already have. It’s no use offering somebody something they need, if we don’t have any to give! That is so obvious it is hardly worth stating!

But when it comes to being of real help and comfort to others, people can find themselves with an empty tank and nothing to give from the heart. They may go through the motions of doing the right thing, but somehow or other the most important ingredient is missing.

There isn’t one of us who hasn’t gone through tough times and faced difficult problems, and in this verse Paul is encouraging us to learn how to draw our deepest level of comfort from the Lord himself, who is described here by Paul as the God of ALL comfort. He is the one who understands our deepest sorrows, our most severe rejection, our most painful bereavement. He knows from experience what it is to suffer such personal pain and trauma. He went through it for us.

So Paul encourages those of us who are seeking to be mature in Christ, to draw on the love tanks of heaven and be personally comforted by Him. In that way our own love tanks will be full and we will have an overflowing resource to give to those who may not yet be in the same very blessed situation of knowing the Lord of Glory well enough to draw directly from Him. If we have been filled with His comfort, we will always have plenty to be able to give to others!

Prayer: Help me, Lord, to so draw on your love that my heart will always be comforted by your presence with me. Please help me to keep my eyes open for those in need of your comfort so that I can share the blessing with them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.