Paul begins 2 Corinthians with a beautiful reflection on comfort which is the foundation of what he has to say to the church. But we need to understand what, for Paul, the nature of comfort really is. If we understand that despair is the product of relying on ourselves, and hope the product of relying on God, then comfort is anything that makes me rely more on God.
Hope that that kind of comfort …
- Will help us acknowledge our weakness
- Will help us find blessing in suffering
- Will give us confidence to comfort one another