The call to be a comforter to the fullest seems to be a call to suffer.
But I’m not a comforter or an encourager, you say.
Well, I’ll go a step further so that nobody feels exempt: the call to be a disciple of Jesus is a call to suffer. Not as an end, not as a necessary step to earn anything, but as a glorious process and a way through which His grace is deemed sufficient and His power acknowledged as perfect. [2 Corinthians 12:9]
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 have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation, if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
[2 Corinthians 1:3-7]
Suffering is not just assumed as an overflow of Christ, but it’s embraced in light of the fellowship and of the coming comfort. To experience the depth and sweetness of comfort, I must have first experienced something that called for that comfort. A beautiful thing about the gospel is that it is for sinners, for those defaulted to darkness and are therefore eligible to receive transformative light. My suffering and brokenness make me all the more eligible to receive God’s comfort and goodness. He will not deny the broken and contrite!
Let me be real. I am still in the thick of much of my own mess, on a refining journey into His heart. I write this as a processing reminder to myself, still needing much comfort. And even if that’s all I have to share right now, it’s meant to be shared. How can I be comforted if I don’t express my need for it?
If the Lord is who He says he is, I don’t just wonder… but I know I will be comforted. I’ll receive it and pass it on. I’ll then face more hardships still, and go deeper still, knowing nothing I go through is ever in vain. It’s not a vicious cycle; it’s a redemptive one. One that requires us to not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead [2 Cor 1:9]. I know that only in Jesus does my suffering produce good fruit. This isn’t to say I seek suffering, of course. I respond within it, because I live by grace. Comfort is a byproduct of godly suffering, not a goal earned by suffering (which is how I used to live—it’s no fun).
So the hope of Christ is that He doesn’t just call us to difficult situations; He guarantees a Comforter through Holy Spirit. This is a renewal of mind I need each day! When I face hardship, I want to rejoice in the promised comfort to come and the guaranteed testimony in the making. I want to be genuinely grateful for an opportunity to both seek Jesus for myself and to share my struggles and my comfort.
Just as private prayer naturally yields public authority in the spirit, suffering in Jesus naturally produces hope in Jesus [Romans 5:3-5].
Why would I not trade any of my past struggles? Because I have such a tangible way to relate and empathize with others. Because my story doesn’t end at the struggle. And that hope is what I pray to be the contagious element shared to propel re-birth after re-birth in many souls.
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. [2 Cor 1:10]
Indeed, He has never failed or made a mistake, and He is not about to start doing so now!!
Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. [2 Cor 1:11]
Boom. Another revelation. Why should we invite many to pray? Can God not do something until or unless a certain number of people pray? Does God need us to pray? No. As with anything He calls us to do, He does not need me or you or anyone. But He invites us to experience His goodness through prayer, not only to maintain personal unity with His Spirit but also to give thanks for what He is doing in others. The greater the number who pray for something, the greater the number who hear testimony and give thanks and glory to Jesus. Praying together not only unites us in spirit, but it edifies us all. It not only moves His heart; it exalts Jesus to His rightful place.
What troubles are you experiencing, and how are you responding? I pray that we only leave behind a sweet scent of hope and not despair, even in sharing our hardships.
What comfort are you spilling over to others? Hey, we can never encourage and comfort too much!
And will you pray for someone, knowing you’ll be able to give thanks upon His faithfulness? If you don’t have anyone to pray for, you can always pray for me 😉 Just sayin’… I need it and I’m not ashamed!
Praise the Lord, apart from whom I have NOOOOO GOOD THING!
{Please pray for: joy and hope restored; aimlessness gone; passion and boldness re-awakened}
