How I wish I could have the same attitude in my affliction as Paul had in his! It’s so easy to get caught up in my problems, and not have faith that God is working it all out for the ultimate good! I have a real love/hate relationship with this passage:

2 Corinthians 1:2-7

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

What a great way to look at God! The Father of all mercies and the God of all comfort. Notice especially that He is the God of ALL comfort. There is no other true comfort available!

4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Isn’t that a great way to look at our affliction? Any time you go through something terrible (and it doesn’t just say troubles, but afflictions) realize that God is preparing you to comfort someone else who goes through the same thing. Haven’t you wanted to give real comfort to someone who was going through some terrible situation? The principle here is that the comfort we should show to others is the comfort that we receive from God, which is ours in abundance:

5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

Here it is. The part of this passage that I hate! His sufferings are ours in ABUNDANCE! But realize that whatever sufferings are ours, there is more than sufficient comfort available to us through Christ.

6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; (I guess I’m just going to have to patiently endure my afflictions!)

That’s the attitude that we must have in afflictions. Realize that whenever you are going through something, it is so that you will have the ability to give the real comfort of God to someone when they most need it.

7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

Paul had the ultimate confidence (hope is the word ELPIS, which is confidence), knowing that as these Corinthian believers suffered, they would find the true comfort available in Christ.

So when you go through some terrible affliction, take the point of view that Paul did. Realize that anytime you suffer, God is simply preparing you, so that you will be able to give comfort to someone else. When you share that true comfort that is only in Christ, then you are truly representing and glorifying Him.