He Consoles Us

Readings:
Job 31
II Corinthians 1:1-7

Focus:
II Corinthians 1:4: "He consoles us in all our troubles, so that we in turn may be able to console others in any trouble of theirs and to share with them the consolation we ourselves receive from God."

In this passage Paul speaks of how his distress and consolation are both woven together with the distress and consolation of the Corinthian Christians. And indeed this is true of all Christian brothers and sisters. We do not live our lives as individuals only. We share in each other's joys and sorrows, we help to build each other up, and we support each other in our hard times.

In particular, there are two great things that Paul says in verse 4. The first is that when we have troubles, God consoles us in them. In my experience, going through cancer and heart disease in the last few years, I know this is true.

The second thing that Paul says is this: the reason that God consoles us is so that we can in turn console others. We are not just to receive the consolation that God gives us. We are to actively reach out to others who need consolation. Once God has consoled us, we have the riches of consolation that we can share. We have enough to keep for ourselves--enough to keep and overflowing--and enough to give away. It is a rich experience.