“The God of ALL COMFORT, who COMFORTS us in our AFFLICTION SO THAT we could COMFORT others in ANY AFFLICTION with the COMFORT with which we ourselves have been Comforted…”– {2 Cor 1:3-4)

These two verses were two verses God used to speak comfort into my heart 12 years ago during my first 13 months confined to a sick bed… and I am so thankful to Him for reaching out to me. I hope this will encourage you…

  1. – COMFORT;

If you have never mourned, despaired of life or being depressed, you have no need for the comfort of God, But- if you have then the great news, He champions in comforting the mourning {Ish 61:2}, those who despair of life {2Cor 1:6,8} and those who have experienced deep dark places such as depression {2 Cor 7:6.} And He has a monopoly on Comfort. He is the Father of mercies, that is to say mercy originates with God, He sees the miserable of a person’s condition and He acts upon it and sends the comfort that is needed and no matter how long the battle His mercies nor comfort is ever depleted, nor runs thin. There are oceans and oceans of unlimited comfort available, indeed eternally so, unlike when our oldest son who was  seven years old and we took him and the other kids to a restaurant and for desert there was a yogurt machine and you could  fill a cone or cup up with the amount of yogurt  you desires. He stood on his tippy toes and pulled the lever down which released the yogurt  and as I came out ad swirled around in his cone filling it and eventually beginning to overflow he shouted, “help, help.” He tried to stand on his tippy toes and push up the lever into the off position but he could not and so I went and pushed it up for him. But if you could imagine if no one helped him the yogurt would have kept coming and one little boy covered in it but eventually the machine would run out, as there was a limit the machine could hold, but not so, gloriously so-   His comfort. He has “ALL” the comfort! And He imparts it gloriously and lavishly and sufficiently to His own and there will be no lack of comfort!

 2.- CRUSHED;

The word, “affliction” speaks of “pressure”- great pressure. In days of old, when a particular group of people wanted to force a confession out of someone, they placed two large boulders on his chest and the weight of it caused “great pressure” where the force caused the chest to begin to crush and only if they confessed would the boulders be removed, if not the person was crushed to death. They could not help themselves, so great the pressure upon them, it was beyond them. So this word here “affliction” speaks of “great pressure.”  And in these three passages we see those who mourn, despair of life and are depressed are CRUSHED…”afflicted” and the HOPE FROM GOD is HE SPECIALIZES in Comforting the mourning, despairing and depressed. There is hope for you from “The God of ALL HOPE”-{1 Peter 5:10} as well as “The God of ALL COMFORT” and “Father of Mercies, who COMFORTS us in our AFFLICTIONS…” Do you see the HOPE in these verses? HE is the Hope of the CRUSHED!

 3.– COMMISSIONED;

I sat with a dear man after a service once and he told me and then showed me where his sixteen year old son had been buried. I listened to him and shared with him this verse-2 Cor 1:4; and how God who had comforted him had now COMMISSIONED him having equipped him through comforting him in his affliction was now authorized, qualified to comfort others with the same comfort in which they themselves had been comforted! NOTE the word “ANY” or “ALL” as some translations say. YOU ARE AUTHORIZED! You are EQUIPPED to minister comfort, God’s Comfort to others who are afflicted or crushed! You do not need a seminary degree, or attend a Bible college to equip you for you dear beloved one  if you have ever mourned, despaired of life, or have experienced depression and have been a recipient of The Father’ss mercies and God of all COMFORT- you are QUALIFIED! You have been in God’s School- “THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION” and there He has met you, and now in turn He COMMISSIONS YOU- yes YOU, to Extend His COMFORT to others who are crushed! Where will you find such people?

As I shared with that dear man who has lost his son at such an early Age-in the pews at churches are full of them. Indeed when I saw him again, he had joy and purpose ad saw from his Pain there was Purpose in his pain- A ministry of comfort to the crushed and he having been steeped in the “furnace of affliction” was qualified, authorized and compassionate enough to understand another human’s crushing and minister effectively! Did it lessen the pain? NO- a thousand and times NO- but in his pain he now had purpose, and divine perspective that God would cause even this horrendous loss to further His gospel and comfort others! He had been entrusted with pain and he was determined to use it for God and others benefit, and as can you dear crushed and comforted one!

All around us we live in a society of CRUSHED people, CRUSHED, emotionally, CRUSHED SPIRITUALLY, CRUSHED MENTALLY, CRUSHED PHYSICALLY. CRUSHED BY PAIN, BETRAYAL, DISAPPOINTMENT, ILLNESS, CRUSHED BY SIN…. And YOU, yes YOU- having been dipped in the “FURNACE OF AFFLICTION” Are now COMMISSIONED with a ministry from God you never asked for- “THE MINISTRY OF COMFORT TO THE CRUSHED.”  So often in the throes of early delight in salvation our hearts rise and pleas, “GOD USE ME” and the desire to serve Him. And He who chose us for Himself also chooses our Ministry for us {Gal 1:15} and for some privileged souls, that is the Gift of Suffering and the MINISTRY OF COMFORT!

CRUSHED – COMFORTED-COMMISSIONED…

WHO DOES GOD COMFORT?

  • Those who MOURN- {Ish 61:2}

  • Those who Despair of even life itself – {2 Cor 1:6,8 }

  • Those who are Depressed –{2 Cor 7:6 }

 HOW DOES GOD COMFORT?

  • God uses HIS WORD to comfort {Psalm 119:50}

  • God’s SPIRIT is the Comforter {John 16:7-8;}

  • GOD HIMSELF is the “GOD OF ALL COMFORT”-{2 Cor 1:3-4}

  • God uses HIS PEOPLE to comfort as He did by sending Titus {2 Cor 7:6};

 Are you Mourning? Despairing of life? Depressed? If so I am truly sorry for your pain but I am so, so excited – that you are a CANDIDATE for “THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT.” He is your good news!

HAVE YOU BEEN CRUSHED? Have you been COMFORTED by God? If so you are now COMMISSIONED by God to comfort others with the same COMFORT with which he has comforted you!

Your pain, pressures can be used by God to know His Comfort deeper and to use you to minister compassionately into the lives of the crushed.