When the Going Gets Tough

I decided to read through 2 Corinthians. It's the second of two letters that Paul the Apostle wrote to a church that had been swayed by false teachings.

But I am not going to touch on false teachings and doctrines. Rather, I noticed that in this epistle, Paul had spent a fair bit of time on his character and conduct. I felt I could learn from that. In my temerity, I decided that I would share with you what I discover!

So let's start with Chapter 1.

Immediately I am arrested by these verses 3 to 5. NKJV puts it, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all 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 we ourselves are comforted by God."

What a packed trilogy of verses!

Let's go backwards. Looking at verse 5, it is obvious that we too will face difficulties and obstacles in our lives. None of us are immune. How often we have heard that phrase, "I know how you feel" and wonder if the speaker really knew. Well he/she won't, unless they have walked that same path of suffering and difficulty. Only then can we appreciate v4. After we have walked that path, we need to remember to look back and see those who are still making that journey.

The only way we can make through this journey is if we learn to lean on this God of all mercies and Father of all comfort. We ourselves need to learn to draw comfort from God, so that we can learn to share that comfort with others.

I once read somewhere someone once said that we would never know that God is all we need until God is all we've got.

So when it seems that the going is tough, when it seems like even God isnt there anymore, don't despair. He IS there. And one day, we'll be able to say to someone else, "I know how you feel".


Let's walk that journey together.