All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
I AM YOUR COMFORT
2 Corinthians 1: 3-7
"All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God gives us. 5 You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with His comfort through Christ. 6 So when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your benefit and salvation! For when God comforts us, it is so that we, in turn, can be an encouragement to you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident, that as you share in suffering, you will also share God's comfort."
From the above scripture, I reckon that whatever we go through in life is for our growth, for these trials prepare us to help others. What we suffer cannot compare with what the apostles and St paul had to go through, but their faith grew from strength to strength. We on the other hand crumble in the face of the trials we go through, blaming our trials on lack of love from the side of God. Through these trials we lean more to the grace of God for comfort, because He is our comfort. We are able to comfort others that are faced with similar trials. So when we are 'weighed down with with troubles' it is for the benefit of others, so that they may be comforted by the comfort we receive from God. Let our trials strengthen us in faith, not despair, for we have our comforter, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who comforts us in our trials and troubles.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lina on
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You are right sister, these trials make us grow. When I look back, the trials I face at various stages of my life, are not of the same value. Each new trial seem to out weigh the one before it, but I am able to overcome them at some point. Our Lord is understanding and we are grateful for His grace and mercy. Grateful also to acknowledge the fact that He never allows trials that we cannot handle.
The Word of God surely helps us on our faith journey. The more we study it, the more we understand the extent of our faith.
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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The answer for the reason for the trials is found in the verses following the ones you have quoted, Lina.
Paul writes:
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,[a] about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.Paul and those with him were struggling, were finding they did not have the ability to endure -- it was too much -- so much that they despaired of life itself. Why would God allow them to be pushed beyond their limits? People always say God won't give us more than we can bear -- but, personally, I think that Scripture is mis-used. It's talking about temptations, and yes, when we are tempted to sin there is always a second where we do have a route of escape. But when it comes to trials and hardships and burdens, personally I think God does give us more than we can bear and here is why I think it. The next verses:
9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
He does it to teach us to rely on Him and not on ourselves. Because we don't have the ability to endure. But there is more. He delivers us time and time again, just as He did Paul throughout Paul's ministry. Paul really suffered many things. He always made it through them. There is even more truth here -- on Him we are to set our hope. That He will continue to deliver us. We can lose that hope. So then there are the words "as you help us by your prayers" -- we need to help each other by prayers. Why? The answer is in the very last sentence of verse 11. That's why. The people praying for us will thank God and be thankful for the gracious favor granted to us in answer to their prayers.
This is just God's way. It's hard to be thankful for all the evil things that happen to us. But we can be thankful for the help we receive from God and from others. And one day there won't be anymore sorrow or crying or pain or death. But for now there is and that's just the way it is.
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Permalink Reply by Tammy on
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I'm with you Amanda. Unless I've overlooked it, God never said He wouldn't give us more then we could bear. When we solve our problems because they are easy to carry, who gets the glory, us? He says that ,He alone will get the glory. He does say when we're tempted, He makes a way to escape so that we'll be able to bear it.
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Thanks for the insight Amanda, I like the reason why He allows these trials to come our way; 'He does it to teach us to rely on Him, and not on ourselves'. I am grateful that He delivers us time and again. These trials seem to constantly draw us to Him. I think that is the whole point, He allows the trials to keep us close to Himself, not that He enjoys to see us suffer, but so that His work can be revealed to us; as our Lord Jesus said about the man born blind.
Verse 7 Our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation. this sounds like our trials shouldn't surprise us because even St Paul knew we'll encounter them. We we focus on the Lord, our trials will be viewed in a different light. Prayer is necessary for us to endure. As we pray, we must support each other in prayers. It is for this reason St Paul urges us in his letters to the early christian to always pray for each other.
When we see Him one day, we won't remember these trials because our joy will overshadow all that we would have gone through. What a victory that shall be. Halleluja
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