What strikes us in this passage is that as important as God's comfort is in our suffering, this comfort is not an end in itself. The reason behind our suffering and the comfort we receive is so that we might be able to comfort others that are suffering. Everything that happens to us is for the purpose of ministry. It is God who is building His Kingdom and He knows exactly what kind of comfort we need in order to equip us to effectively comfort others. He knows those whom He will bring across our path that we need to comfort and He knows how best to prepare us for that ministry. There are many different tribulations and difficulties that we can endure in this life, but whatever they might be, we must see God's purpose in them all. Whatever comes into our lives, God's comfort is real and sufficient to provide full comfort. Some people never recover from something like a terrorist attack. But this response is sinful, it is fleshly, it is, according to their own authority opting out of serving the King. Suffering, no matter what it is, is not meaningless in the Lord.
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Derek Carlsen is a native Zimbabwean and was a resident in that country until he was called to be the pastor of the Church of Christian Liberty from April 2003 to September 2005. Following this, he became founding pastor of Covenant Reformed Church of Elk Grove in Elk Grove...