“…who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 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 Corinthians 1:4-6
Life on this planet is filled with pain, not one of us is immune to it - the truth is we will all be hurt at more than one point in our lives. There is no place to go where it is completely safe and sometimes the most severe pain comes in those places that should be safe. There are all sorts of pain - physical, emotional and spiritual or a combination. Some pain is inflicted by others, by the spear throwers in our lives, some pain is inflicted by our own bodies and sadly some pain we inflict upon ourselves. There are also degrees of pain; a scraped knee for instance isn’t nearly as painful as broken leg. An offense by a stranger is not nearly as painful as an offense by someone we care about. Not even Jesus was immune.
A number of years ago I was hit by spear, thrown by someone I would have never expected to throw one. Seriously wounded and in the wilderness, had it been a physical wound, it would have been life threatening. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit came and tended the wound. Family and real friends comforted me. Coming through the other side to healing, made me not only stronger, but more compassionate and uniquely equipped to comfort others who have been wounded in the same way.
This is what Paul is telling the church at Corinth. The Lord sends his Spirit to comfort us in the midst of the pain, in the midst of the wilderness of life and that allows us to comfort one another. I would hazard a guess and say that if you have lost a loved one, the person who was able to best comfort you was someone who had to deal with the same pain. You see we are never alone in the pain we face on this planet.
If you are in a painful place right now, if you look for comfort you will find it. If you are woundless at the moment, you may be the very person the Holy Spirit will use to tend to someone else’s wound and to comfort them in the wilderness.
A Prayer
Father, thank you for understanding how we feel whether the pain is physical, emotional or spiritual you understand. Thank you for sending you Holy Spirit to comfort us. Thank you for the people who pick us up and carry us in the wilderness. Bring healing to those who need it and thank you for loving us through the pain. May we share with others the comfort and compassion we received from you through your Son Jesus. Amen.
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