Called to Be a Comforter

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 affliction, 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 1:3-5

In this wounded world of ours comfort is as necessary as bread. How wonderful to know, then, that our God is the God of all comfort and that his desire is to comfort us in all our affliction. Untold numbers can testify to having been comforted by God, either directly through the Holy Spirit or through the words, prayers, and kindness of his servants.

Paul wants us to know that when God comforts us it isn't just for our own benefit. He  wants each of us to become conduits through which his comfort can reach others. In other words, the God of all comfort has called us to become comforters in our own right.

In Christ, our pain and suffering are the school that prepares us for the ministry of comfort. Our wounds, under God, are our teachers.

If you have passed through some singular sorrow and have been comforted by God, know that God has a special work for you to do. It may be tomorrow or it may be ten years from now. God will bring a hurting person into your life and you, drawing from the deep well of experience, will comfort them with the comfort you yourself have received from God.

The God of all comfort has called us to become comforters.