What words come to mind when you think of God? Make sure the word 'comfort' is on your list!
Read / Listen to the chapter:
Read the chapter in an outlined format
Read previous DIG DEEPER posts on 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 1 Summary
Like other letters, Paul begins 2nd Corinthians with a doxology - words of glory to God. Here it picks two significant attributes of God to focus upon:
God is the Father of compassion
and the God of all comfort.
We are to model this compassion to others, and it's in sharing in Christ's sufferings that we experience God's comfort.
The Bible contains thousands of God's promises (anywhere between 4,000 - 9,000 depending on who's counting system gets used). But all of those promises get answered with one Word: CHRIST (v20).
Even promises God has made, for example, to make all things new again, that have not yet materialized still can be considered fulfilled. Remember, God exists outside of time & space, so things which are in the future for us are experienced in an eternal present for Him.
This is why Paul reminds us that we can be comforted by this compassionate omnipresent (present in all times and places at once) God.
Dig Deeper
v20 - For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen / Ἀμὴν / אָמֵן to God for his glory.
This little four letter word we use so often is actually a Greek word that comes straight into English without translation (and the Greeks took it straight from ancient Hebrew). It's pronounced the same in all three languages, and it simply means 'so be it.'
This certainly adds to the power of our prayers, doesn't it! It's not just a signal that we can open our eyes again because the prayer is over, rather it's a way of claiming the promises of God through our participation in Christ.
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: the Father of mercies and God of all comfort
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: You can align your life with one simple word each time you pray when you know what the word Amen means.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
