God Comforts Us In Troubles So We Can Comfort Others

I am currently reading through 2 Corinthians, it is a really helpful book in the Bible to go to if you are facing difficulties. This is because Paul wrote it when he was facing many hardships including: beatings, imprisonment and sleepless nights (2 Corinthians 6:5). He had a remarkable attitude through all of this which I find deeply challenging;  he kept his eyes fixed on Jesus and sought to use whatever circumstance he was in to glorify God.

One example of this is in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 which says: ‘…the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.’ Paul recognised that through his own difficulties he could help others and by doing so show something of God’s love to them.

It was invaluable to me when I was long-term sick to have people in my life who were also ill or who had experienced chronic illness; they often understood what I was facing more than other friends. I am very grateful for their encouragement and support.  My prayer for you is that if you are going through something tough that God would provide you with a friend who can empathise with you (I write more on that here).

It has been a wonderful source of encouragement to me personally to see God use what I have been through to help and support others. Starting to see this happen kept me going on tough days; it was a reminder that God had purposes through my sickness and that he could bring good out of all situations (Romans 8:28).

Who can you get alongside to support and encourage today? You can do this even if you have low energy or mobility, messages sent to me when I was sick (often by other people with health issues) were a huge blessing.