He is the God of all Comfort

2Corinthians 1:3 – Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

    To bless God is to speak well of Him, just as to curse God would be to speak poorly. What we say about another is likely to be one of the best indicators of our relationship. If I speak well of God, then things must be well between us. We are exhorted throughout the Scripture to bless God; to exalt Him and to lift Him up. When we bless someone that means that we take the limits off them; we empower them to exceed boundaries and go way beyond the status quo. Obviously, God does not need us to take any limits off Him, but we need to have the limits taken off our view of Him. When we bless God and praise Him our hearts are enlarged, and we can receive more of who He is.

    Who is this God that we are to bless? He is first and foremost, a Father. A father is one who begets life thereby giving a future and a destiny to another. A father commences the life but is also, committed to that life. He produces the life and then provides for that life. He protects, He corrects, and he directs that life. God is the Faithful Father.

   Not only is He a Father but, more specifically, he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This, of course, refers to the humanity of Jesus. As God, eternally existing, Jesus never had a beginning, but as a man, He did have a beginning and it was the Father who initiated it. When Jesus became a man by submitting to the restrictions of the womb and identifying with the natural process, He elevated our humanity; indeed, we have a noble existence and purpose. Jesus, the man, became Christ, the Lord, who brought salvation and made it available to all mankind.

    God is also the Father of mercies. The world would not know mercy if it were not for Him; He initiated mercy; it had its beginnings in the Father. He begat mercy and He planned the future and destiny of mercy. What would this world be like without mercy? We see some places in the world where the Word of God is banned and forbidden, and people are not given freedom to choose and these places have become places without mercy; consequently, human life is considered worthless. Harsh and inhumane treatment is the norm and people are completely de-valued. Of course, this happens also in our side of the world in many hearts wherever the Word of God is rejected, and freedoms are restricted. If there is no mercy in the heart, there will be none in the life. If there is no influence of the Father, then there is a merciless life.

    Mercy is what we all need but do not always give, no doubt, we have failed as dispensers and channels of mercy. The failure itself is reason for our continued need. Just as we are not able to breathe in air for the next hour, we can only inhale and exhale the current mercy. God says that His mercy is new every morning; most likely because we need it every morning. Even the fact that God created a twenty-four-hour day is a reminder of mercy. We may have failed today, or sinned in some way, or not measured up, but just as the sun will come up over the horizon in the morning so His mercy will be freshly prepared and waiting for us the next day. Fresh morning; fresh mercy; fresh start.

    He is also called the God of all comfort. He is not the God of discouragement or despair, He is not the God of hopelessness or gloom. He is the God of all comfort; that is, He comes to us in our discouragement and despair; He is with us through it all. The word comfort itself expresses His action, it means to strengthen by being with. How striking and suggestive this word is for all of us who have opportunities daily to bring comfort to those around us.

    God is the God of all comfort; He is the God of strength by presence. Just to know that He is present brings us comfort; it brings strength. He comes to us no matter what situation we might find ourselves in, or for what reason. He doesn’t come to judge or condemn, He comes to comfort, He comes to bring strength by His presence. He is the God of all comfort. He has comfort for every condition or circumstance and there is no comfort outside His reach.

    Today, in whatever place you are; no matter your choices, or your failures, or your losses, He is with you right now. Thank Him for His presence and breath in His strength and comfort.