The God of all comfort
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
Paul had to address several serious problems in his first letter to the Corinthian assembly, and they had responded to his ministry. He starts his second letter by lifting up his heart to God in worship, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Lord Jesus spoke to Mary, on the resurrection day, of ascending to “my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). The Holy Spirit would always lift our hearts to praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus: we are His children. All our blessings come because the Father sent the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of all, our Saviour, Jesus, and the One anointed to fulfil all the purposes of God, the Christ. How thankful the apostle was that God had answered his prayers and faithfulness by blessing the saints in Corinth!
The Father of mercies
He also addresses God as “the Father of mercies”. Mercy is the practical expression of the compassion we feel towards those in need. It is seen in all its fullness in God “who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) (Ephesians 2:4-5). God displays His mercy towards us throughout our lives:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me. All the days of my life (Psalm 23:6).
And it is the manifold mercy of God which constantly encourages us to live sacrificial and sanctified lives:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).
The God of all comfort
Comfort means calling to one’s side to encourage and help. We experience it when our parents, friends and even strangers come alongside in times of need. And we also know the sense of helplessness when loved ones are so distressed we cannot comfort them. But Paul describes God as the God of all comfort who sympathises in every situation and is able to meet needs others cannot. God’s power to comfort His people is seen throughout the Old Testament. It was demonstrated from His throne and through His servants on earth. But the day came when God sent His Son; no longer using servants but becoming a Servant; no longer unseen in heaven but present in the world He had made. He came alongside the broken hearted, the poor, the diseased, the oppressed and even the dead. He brought His comforting ministry into this world. Alongside the dying thief, He speaks words of comfort and hope: “Today, you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). The Lord Jesus came alongside us in all our distance from God, so that we would be forever close to Him in heaven. It is a ministry He continues now as our Great High Priest in glory and, at the same time, the Holy Spirit is our Comforter on earth. Our experience of “the God of all comfort“ enables us to come alongside others in need. May God lay upon our hearts those we can comfort with the comfort of God.
