Paul, Pt. 9: “The God of All Comfort”

THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT (2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-6)
Everything that could go wrong went wrong for Will Smith’s character in “The Pursuit of Happyness.” He invested his money into buying and selling bone-density scanners. One of his $250 scanners was stolen by a hippie and another by a lunatic. The lack of income took a toll on his family and his frustrated wife left him on account of his chaotic life, including collecting unnecessary parking tickets, for which he was arrested. At about the same time he also bumped into a kind man who paved the way for him to have an opportunity to be a broker, only if he could beat 19 others to the job in an internship. The supervisor at the internship used him for an office boy and even the CEO stiffed him for taxi money in an emergency.

A series of unfortunate events left him and his five-year-old son homeless. When he sold all his scanners the IRS impounded his money for unpaid taxes. He was thrown out of his apartment. They slept overnight in a train station restroom one night when they ran out of money. Every day before 5 pm he lined up with his son at a shelter that would take in limited people, sometimes missing the cut. When he finally recovered his last scanner from the crazy man, it did not work, so he had to donate blood to earn $20 something to replace a default part. At night in the shelter he diligently studied for his broker exam. When he could not convince a big client to give him a chance, he worked hard on other clients. Through hard work and determination he succeeded beyond his dreams and was made a broker.

The best scene was when he was at a chapel service in the shelter, listening to an inspiring song from the choir:
“Lord don’t move that mountain,
Give me the strength to climb it.
Please don’t move that stumbling block,
But lead me Lord around it.”

Have you been mad at God for something that went wrong? A world crisis, a family crisis or an office crisis? In a national survey conducted by George Barna, a cross section of adults were asked: “If you could ask God only one question and you knew He would give you an answer. What would you ask?” The number one answer by 17% of respondents was; “Why is there pain and suffering in the world?” Augustine put it this way: “If there is no God, why is there so much good? If there is a God, why is there so much evil?”

What part does suffering play in our life? How does one outlast tragedy, pain and even loss? Why is suffering possibly a friend and not a foe?

You’ve Got to Be Positive, Not Pessimistic
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, (2 Cor 1:3-4)

In the early 1980’s, Dr. Salvatore R. Maddi, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of a forthcoming book, “Resilience at Work,” followed hundreds of employees at Illinois Bell when its parent company, AT&T, was facing federal deregulation. More than 10,000 people eventually lost their jobs. “There was suicide, depression, anxiety disorders, divorces, heart attacks, strokes - all the things that could be attributed to massive stress,” Dr. Maddi said.

But while about two-thirds of the workers in Dr. Maddi’s sample unraveled, the other third thrived. They survived the incident with their health intact and hung onto their jobs or moved to another company where they quickly climbed up the ranks. When the researchers went back and reviewed their first set of interviews, they found that many of the people who made it through unscathed had stressful family backgrounds - constant moving, their parents getting divorced - and were more likely to describe change as inevitable. “Some of the people who cracked had initially taken a job with Bell rather than I.B.M. because they believed it was safe and didn’t want any disruption,” Dr. Maddi said.

Paul’s first verb in the letter is praise, or “blessed” (eulogetos) in Greek, a testimony and tribute to Job’s feisty attitude in the midst of troubles (Job 1:21). Christians do not merely have light at the end of the tunnel; they have light inside and outside the tunnel. There is nothing more encouraging and enduring than to know that our God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (v 3). Compassion refers to His nature and comfort is the action. This compassion word has nothing to do with the two more popular words on compassion – bowels and sumpatheo, the former describing describe movement and the latter empathy; compassion/mercy has to do God’s relationship to man. The Old Testament equivalent of this root word (compare Rom 9:15 and Ex 33:19) is used of a father’s compassion on his children (Ps 103:13, Mal 3:17) and a mother’s compassion on the child she has borne (Isa 49:15). The object of God’s compassion in the Bible are His servants (Deut 32:36, Ps 135:14), all He has made (Ps 145:9), Jacob (Isa 14:1) and His afflicted ones (Isa 49:13). God knows the fear, the fight and the fire in us.

The key word in this passage is “comfort.” Meeting troubles does not mean God is condemning us; He comforts us in our troubles. He does not chastise or criticize us but calm and console us when we are troubled. The noun form occurs six times in five verses, from verse 3 to 7 – once in each verse but twice in verse 6 – and its verb four times – three times in verse 4 and once in verse 6. The Greek meaning for comfort is para-kaleo or “call (kaleo) beside or alongside (para).” Our comfort is derived from knowing not only He is on our side, but that He is by our side, though He can only be seen or felt with eyes of faith. This noun is translated as consolation (Luke 2:25) and encouragement, as in the case of Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement (Acts 4:36). God’s encouragement is eternal (2 Thess 2:16), never ending. The verb translations for “comfort” are pretty broad, including answer kindly (1 Cor 4:13), urge (Rom 12:1), encourage (1 Cor 14:31), implore (2 Cor 5:20), appeal (2 Cor 10:1), plead (2 Cor 12:8) and exhort (1 Tim 5:1).

God’s comfort is applicable in the most extreme situation – in our tribulation
(thlipsis), not in mere trouble (as it is translated) but not the great tribulation either. Elsewhere, this word (thlipsis) is the second part of the “great tribulation” equation in Revelation (Rev 7:14). Note that for all our troubles, it is nothing compared to the coming “great tribulation” (Rev 7:14), otherwise known as “great distress” (Matt 24:21) the gospels talked about and Revelation’s “suffer intensely” (Rev 2:22). In another chapter, Paul comforts the Corinthians, saying our troubles are light and momentary troubles (2 Cor 4:17) in comparison to the eternal glory awaiting us (2 Cor 4:17).

You’ve Got to Be Purposeful, Not Powerless
so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. (2 Cor 1:4-5)

A store owner was tacking a sign above his door that read “Puppies For Sale.” A little boy appeared under the store owner's sign. “How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.

The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.” The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have $2.37,” he said. “Can I please look at them?”

The store owner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, “What's wrong with that little dog?” The store owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn't have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame.

The little boy became excited. “That is the puppy that I want to buy.” The store owner said, “No, you don't want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I'll just give him to you.”

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner's eyes, pointing his finger, and said, “I don't want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I'll pay full price. In fact, I'll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

The store owner countered, “You really don't want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.”
To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, “Well, I don't run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”


A youth asked a sad and lonely man this question: “What is life’s heaviest burden?” He answered, “To have nothing to carry.”

Troubles are not suffered in vain. With God’s help and comfort, we can transform the experience from the trouble to comfort other people in need. Troubles are the means to embitter us or to empower others, to sour us or to strengthen people, to doom us or to direct people. People do not grow if they are perfect, passive or pessimistic.

Christ is our example. He became a man and suffered the worst imaginable trouble/tribulation in history, but His sufferings are vicarious and victorious. He suffered in our place and for our sake, serving as our substitute on the cross. Christ’s afflictions/troubles are for the sake of his body, which is the church. (Col 1:24). Further, because He is just, He will return trouble on those who trouble us. (2 Thess 1:6)

Besides troubles, Jesus experienced more: “sufferings” (v 5) or “pathema,” from the word “pathos” or “passion.” Pathos is a quality that arouses emotions such as pity or sorrow. Our strength lies in the sufferings of Christ. Suffering itself is never glorious, anything but glorious, but out of it came glory (1 Peter 1:11). He is crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death (Heb 2:9), so our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us (Rom 8:18). Sharing in his sufferings (Phil 3:10) is an honor. When we participate in the sufferings of Christ, we will be overjoyed (1 Peter 4:13) when we share in the glory to be revealed (1 Peter 5:10). 1 Peter tells us we are partakers (koinoneo) and witnesses of His sufferings (1 Peter 5:1).

You’ve Got to Be Patient, Not Panicky
6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. (2 Cor 1:6)

One of the toughest individuals I have ever met is my colleague Rev. Silas Chan of Logos Seminary, a Ph. D graduate in 1987 with grownup kids now. His testimony is worth telling:
“40 years ago, I graduated from Taiwan Seminary. 40 years ago disabled people in Taiwan were called “handicap for life殘廢.” And since 19, due to a spinal cord injury, I have been handicapped, depending on a wheelchair for mobility, unable to find a job in most societies. Graduating from seminary, due to my church’s difficulty, I was forced to find a job in an organization…Graduation is unemployment. How bitter. I had a small a tutoring class which I had closed upon being called and attending seminary. There is no road for me to travel. But the seminary professors have love. Seeing my situation, they arranged for me to be “secretary” at the seminary, but since they already have one, there was no vacancy and I was “secretary to professor association,” which is secretary to the secretary. Whatever the secretary cannot finish, or whenever they need me, work was handed to me. At that time our seminary professors lived rather far away. When the typhoons and heavy rains arrive, they asked me to step in to teach. After a few sessions, the students’ response was OK, so the school decided to send me to US for further studies, obtaining teachers credentials…Looking back, the 40 years of heartbreak history was part of the process of God’s plan.” (EFC Magazine 5/04)

It’s been said, “Patience perfects Christian character.” (Vine’s) “Patient endurance” (hupo-meno) is the Greek word “patience,” or the preposition “under” (hupo) plus the popular verb “abide” (meno) of John 15:4. It means continuing, remaining and enduring when you are under! Troubles allow us to learn the skill of “surviving underneath.” Swimming is a good “continuing under” analogy. I should know since I swim ten 75 feet laps three days week. You learn swimming in the water, not from the books. In order to swim, you’ll have to step into cold water, get your hair wet and stay above the water. You’ll never learn swimming in a hot tub, a children’s pool or an inflatable pool. In water, you’ll kick your legs, swing your arms and propel your body to move forward. Even my wife, who does not know how to swim, uses her two foam dumbbells as floaters and splashes her way across five laps, crossing the fearful five feet deeper end twice each lap.

Other translations for “patience” (hupo-meno) in the NIV are “persistence” (Rom 2:7), “endurance” (Rom 15:4) and “perseverance” (2 Thess 1:4). God is a God of patience (Rom 15:5). The Bible consistently teaches that suffering precedes patience and produces patience (Rom 5:3). The testing of your faith develops patience/perseverance (James 1:3). Patience is an attribute of God and a virtue to man. By persevering, we have hope (Rom 15:4), receive what God has promised (Heb 10:36) and run the race marked out for us (Heb 12:1). By persevering, the man of God may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:4) In the New Testament this word is synonymous with the besieged Job (James 5:11), who understood eventually that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Conclusion: The Chinese say, “Heaven send no dead end to man天無絕人之路.” Experience has to be earned and learned. Are you willing to be prepared for troubles, or merely wish to be protected from troubles? Do you have perspective and poise when pressure mounts? Have you thanked God for learning survival skills through suffering?

Small group discussion:
1. What troubles have you experienced? Describe an experience you have been through.
2. What kinds of trouble had Paul been through (2 Cor 11:24-27)? What do you think kept him going?
3. Have you experienced troubles that turned out to good effect? What was your initial reaction to the trouble? How did you overcome the trouble and what was the lesson learned?
4. How did Paul describe God (v 3)?
5. What is compassion?
6. When God comfort us, does it mean He has canceled our problems? How is it different then?
7. Share one of your experiences being comforted by God.
8. How can our suffering impact others positively? Have you ever shared your experiences to help others? How did others learn and benefit from a similar trouble you have?
9. According to Paul, what is the purpose of his sufferings?
10. What is endurance? How have troubles produced patience and endurance in you?