November 4, 2025 - 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 - "The God of All Comfort"

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

"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. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation."

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort." The heart of Paul’s message beats here. Every word of praise that flows from his lips is born out of affliction and yet rises heavenward in thanksgiving. Comfort is not born in ease; it is born in the furnace of suffering. This comfort is not sentimental—it is strength. It is the divine consolation that flows from the Heart of Christ into the hearts of His afflicted people.

God is called the “Father of mercies.” All mercy originates in Him, flows through His Son, and is applied to the soul by His Spirit. When we speak of Mercy, we are speaking of the very Nature of God revealed in Jesus Christ. The Father is the Fountain; Christ is the Reason. The Mercy that spares, the Mercy that saves, the Mercy that sustains—all of it comes through the Son Who suffered for us.

And He is “the God of all comfort.” That phrase is the foundation of all true God-given consolation. It means that there is no sorrow to which He does not have a Word of Peace, no affliction to which He cannot minister strength, no desolation in which His presence cannot be felt. All comfort begins with God and ends with God. The same LORD Who once said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), still calls His people to Himself. Paul knew this comfort in the deepest trials. He was pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that he despaired even of life (2 Corinthians 1:8). Yet out of that darkness he discovered that God comforts us in all our tribulation. Not in some, not in most—but in all. There is no circumstance too great for His comfort, and no child of God so broken that He cannot hold them and keep them, seeing that it is God's gracious Hand in Christ directing every loving chastisement for His glory. The comfort of God is the ministry of Christ to the soul through the Spirit, Who is the Divine Paraclete (John 14:16).

He comforts us as His children, not merely to soothe us, but that we may be able to comfort others. Every believer becomes a vessel of consolation, carrying to others what they have first received from Christ. The afflictions of God’s people are not wasted. They are sanctified for the good of others. The sufferer becomes a minister. The wounded are blessed by their comfort to bring healing to others. The one who has been consoled by the God of all Comfort becomes a living testimony of His faithfulness.

The sufferings of Christ abound in us, but so also does our consolation abound by Christ. He who drank the bitter cup to the very last dregs now gives the Water of Life to His people. The measure of our suffering is the measure of His comfort. As His afflictions overflow into our lives, His consolation overflows in greater measure. Christ Himself is the Comfort. He is the Mercy of God incarnate, the Divine “Yea” and “Amen” of every promise (2 Corinthians 1:20). Paul declares, "whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation" (v. 6). In both suffering and comfort, God is working the same purpose—to glorify Christ in us and to build His church in Love. Nothing is wasted. Every tear has meaning. Every trial becomes an instrument of Grace.

Our Hope is steadfast, because Christ is ever the Faithful One. The same God Who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1:9) sustains His people through every trial. The Comfort of the Father through the Son by the Spirit teaches us to trust Him more fully. The afflicted learn the language of praise. Out of tribulation comes thanksgiving. Out of weakness comes strength. Out of sorrow comes the sweetest fellowship with Christ, the Man of Sorrows Who is acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3).

Blessed be the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ. He is the Father of mercies. He is the God of all comfort. In Christ, He comforts us in all our tribulations, that we might comfort others with the same comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. By Him, and His gracious disciplines in love, we find again and again that all our sufficiency is of God alone, and all our consolation is in Christ.