What do we do when the pressures of life are squeezing us and we need comfort? Do we reach for our favorite “comfort food”? Do we curl up in a comfy chair and escape by bingeing our favorite show? Do we seek relief by spending time outside in nature? These may help for a while, but is there something better? Let’s see what God’s Word says about the best source of lasting comfort.
II Corinthians 1:3,4:
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
God is continuously working to comfort us in all our pressures of life. God is the whole Source of that which brings comfort. Our loving heavenly Father has not left us without comfort, for He has given us His written Word, which is one primary way God comforts us.
Our heavenly Father is the Source of our complete comfort in every situation and under every condition. Let’s investigate some of the words in verses 3 and 4 of II Corinthians 1 to establish this truth and see God’s heart to us, His dear children. The word “all” is the Greek word pas, which means “every.” God’s comfort is complete, and He provides for every need out of His limitless resources. “Comfort” in the phrase “God of all comfort” in verse 3 is the Greek noun paraklēsis, which is “a calling near, a summons to one’s side.” One of the definitions for “comfort” from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary is “relief from distress of mind; the ease and quiet which is experienced when pain, trouble, agitation or affliction ceases….” In every situation and under every condition, God is always able and willing to provide that relief, ease, and quiet for us.
In verse 4, “comforteth” in the Greek is a present-tense active participle. This expresses continuous action, which means God is continuously active in His comforting of us. “Tribulation” in verse 4 is the Greek word thlipsis, meaning pressure, affliction, or distress. God is always available and willing to comfort us in all our pressures of life. This promise of comfort can strengthen and encourage us in the midst of any and every pressure!
One primary way God provides His comfort to us is by His written Word. We’ve already seen these two verses in II Corinthians, chapter 1, bring us great comfort. What else does the Word have to say on this subject?
Psalm 119:50-52:
This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.
I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself.
Remembering God’s Word allows us to receive God’s comfort. The word “quickened” in verse 50 means kept, preserved, or given life. God’s Word gives life! We can comfort ourselves by deliberately bringing to mind the life-giving promises of God’s Word. The Word of God is a source of true, lasting comfort. This comfort is God calling us close to His side.
The day that I began working on this article, I received heartbreaking news that a brother in Christ on the other side of the country had unexpectedly fallen asleep. As sorrowful as I was to hear the news, I couldn’t help but be thankful that the “God of all comfort” was on my mind. I was able to go to my heavenly Father’s Word and find comfort. I reminded myself that I will see my brother again at the return of Christ (I Thessalonians 4:13-18) and that with the return of Christ, death will be swallowed up in victory (I Corinthians 15:54). What a loving heavenly Father I have. He provided relief and ease and quieted my heart.
I also remembered a couple of lines in that sweet hymn “Near to the Heart of God”: “There is a place of quiet rest, / Near to the heart of God….There is a place of comfort sweet, / Near to the heart of God.” Bringing the promises of God’s Word to mind calls us near to our Father’s heart. The Word provides a place of quiet rest and sweet comfort in times of sorrow and distress.
We all face pressures in life. The question remains, “What do we do when the pressures of life are squeezing us and we need comfort?” We have something greater than eating “comfort food,” streaming our favorite show while curled up in a comfy chair, or walking in the great outdoors to obtain relief, ease, and quiet. We can go to the Source of lasting comfort, the God of all comfort, and find our comfort in His Word. Our loving heavenly Father is continuously working to comfort us in all our pressures of life. We are never without God’s comfort.