Read: 2 Corinthians 1:1-10
[God] comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction. (v. 4)
Last fall I attended a fund-raising event for our local rescue mission, where my youngest daughter, Meredith, works. I met one of her co-workers, who later told Meredith that he could have picked me out of the entire ballroom as her mother. We both laughed; we really don’t look much alike. But something of my mannerisms, my cadence, my words—something reminded him of Meredith. And I take that as a compliment!
God’s children should resemble their heavenly Father, too, in unmistakable ways; one way is to comfort those who are suffering. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 1 that our God is “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (v. 3). Even as God comforts us in our afflictions, we can comfort others who are suffering. In fact, the difficulties themselves teach us how to reach out to others. Paul shares the afflictions he and his fellow missionaries had experienced in Asia, which had “burdened” them beyond their own strength to endure (v. 8). God delivered them and renewed their hope. Paul encourages believers, saying “we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort” (v. 7).
God’s people are comforters; we’ve learned how to comfort from the best! As God’s children, we draw close to the brokenhearted, to offer sympathy and hope. How we resemble our Father when we do that!
As you pray, ask God to help you resemble him in your words and actions.
Laura N. Sweet is a wife, mother, grandmother, and former Christian school teacher from Midland, Michigan. She writes devotional material for both adults and children, and her work has appeared in more than a dozen publications.
