“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which ourselves are comforted by God.” II Corinthians 1:3 (NKJV)

God is the infinite and unfailing source of our comfort. The comfort that He gives is that of a loving and caring heavenly Father who watches with great care over the affairs of His children. His comfort can be counted on because He, in the person of the Holy Spirit is the one who walks along beside us to provide exhortation, consolation, and comfort. He is intimately familiar with every matter of our lives therefore He knows what we are going through and at the same precise moment He knows just how much we can bear. “For He himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:18 (NKJV) He knows and understands every trial, every test, every temptation, and every tribulation that we must and will endure because He is the God of all comfort.

The comfort that God provides is not just for us, but it is far reaching in its impact and focus. He comforts us in “all” of our tribulation. Here the idea of tribulation is that of a pressing together or pressure. It is the same word found in John 16:33 when Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Here is the illustration. Imagine placing your hand on a stack of loose items and manually compressing them. The result is that you have placed “pressure” on that which was free and unfettered. This same idea is also used with regard to the crushing of grapes or olives in a press. Now from a practical standpoint your tribulation or “pressure” may be a result of the current economic environment. You were not a benefactor of the “bailout”, and when the resources began to trickle down it stopped short of meeting you at the point of your most immediate need. God knows, He cares, and He comforts.

Now when God comforts us in “any” tribulation, He does not do so in order for us to have personal possession or privilege of His mercy and grace. No, He comforts us that through our experience with Him, we will be able to comfort those who may be in “any” trouble. Through tribulation or any trouble, God will not only comfort us, but He will also use us to comfort others. His comfort is never just for us to enjoy our own deliverance or escape from the wrath of our circumstances. He will comfort us in order to provide comfort for others. God is the source of all comfort, we are the subjects of His comfort, and as a result others can become strengthened through our comfort. It is a process that can only be completed and concluded when we trust God to walk with us along life’s narrow way.

God is the God of all comfort. That is to say, He has an absolute monopoly on it. Friends and family really can’t comfort us unless they have become acquainted by way of experience with the all encompassing comfort that only God can give. Tranquilizers can’t comfort us. Associates that reside in the multitude of the ungodly can’t comfort us. God comforts us that we may comfort others that we all may come to know Him as the Comforter, bestowing grace and mercy upon those who are His own.