In Need of Comfort

“But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by is coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.”—2 Corinthians 7:6-7

God comforts the downcast. He knows that we are but dust and susceptible to discouragement, disappointment, and depression.  At one time or another, we all grow weary in doing good.  We know our share of defeats.  We know how hard it can be to continue on following the Lord when those around us go on their merry way without paying one bit of attention to God.  We know the pain of brothers and sisters falling into sin—a young man turning to homosexuality, a married couple divorcing, and a recovering alcoholic returning to the bottle.  We know the difficulty of witnessing, the pain of confrontation, and the trouble of dealing with our own sins and struggles.  Eventually, it will all catch up to us, and we need comfort.

The apostle Paul knew the value of God’s comfort.  And he knew from experience that sometimes God sends His people to help comfort us.  Paul was comforted by the coming of Titus, who himself had been comforted by the church at Corinth.  The Corinthian church was a church Paul knew all too well.  He knew their sins and had confronted them, demanding their repentance in his first letter (1 Corinthians).  They were guilty of jealousy, strife, gross sexual immorality, lawsuits among believers, divorce, the abuse of spiritual gifts, drunkenness during communion, idolatry, rejecting authority, anarchy during worship, and a litany of other sins.  But, after Paul’s first letter, the church responded positively and did many of the things he asked.  Titus had been at Corinth and returned to Paul reporting all of the changes that had been made.  The church in Corinth loved Paul and mourned over their sin, turning from it and zealously doing what Paul had commanded.  Hearing of such a response from the Corinthians had to have encouraged Paul's heart—God was working in the hearts of His people.  Paul needed the comfort of Christ and he received it through the obedience of God's people.

Are you in need of comfort right now?  Do you feel burdened beyond belief?  Remember this, God loves you so much that He gave His life for you and not only that, He sent His Spirit to help us in our walk with Him.  As we continue growing in our relationship with Jesus, we must not give up or give in, but look to Christ and find our strength from Him. God comforts the downcast—He will comfort us when we come to Him.  Amen.