Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, II
Corinthians 1:3
Dear Congregation,
The Apostle opens his second letter to
the Corinthian church with words of greeting and benediction followed by an
encouragement to bless and praise God because of who He is. It is always
helpful for us to remember that any person or church that Scripture addresses
as an original audience knows the hardship, fears, and frustrations of life on
this planet. The Bible is not a fantasy or a proposal of idealism. It deals
with real issues and offers real solutions. The church is encouraged to bless
God the Father. That is to ascribe all goodness, praise, service, and life to
the Lord. Why? Because He is the father of mercies and the God of all comfort.
Mercy has its origin with God. It is an attribute that the creation can grasp
and demonstrate in its own fallen way but as a concept, God is the originator.
Bless Him because He shows mercy. Your life, your joys, your eternity, all that
you have that is good is because of your merciful God who gave it to you. One
of the many blessings that the Father mercifully provides is comfort. He is the
God, lord, master, source of all comfort.
When a person is asked if he or she is comfortable, the
initial analysis is physical comfort; warm clothing, soft pillows, a good
mattress, a clean environment etc. While God is the provider of physical
comfort, this verse is speaking of something much more profound and lasting.
Your God is the only source of spiritual comfort. Because we know Him we know
that our souls are safe and secure as Christ’s victory over death and hell is
total and absolute. When this life and this world would tear us to bits with
fear, doubt, unknowns, loss, and disappointment, our God has granted us
comfort. We know where our home is and no matter what happens we have a mansion
in our father’s house that is everlasting comfort. He is the God of emotional
comfort. When torn apart by the sadness and woe of this world our God has
promised that He is with us through the deep waters and will never leave us or
forsake us. The non Christian may sink into emptiness and loneliness but we can
bless our God as His Spirit remains with us. He comforts our sorrows and quiets
our fears. He is the God of mental comfort. If we do not know something, we can
be assured He does. If we feel inadequate to a task, He is not. If our mind is
troubled the almighty needs to be its resting thought and mental focus. He will
accomplish His will in our lives and our psyche needs to be comforted by that.
Grace Church, behold your God! He is the solution that the
Scripture provides to all your struggles and difficulties. Let His comfort
overwhelm your pain. Know him as the source of spiritual, physical, emotional,
and mental comfort. Bless and love him with heart, soul, mind, and strength. Do
not despair, He knows your end as he knew your beginning. Walk with Him, trust
Him, and delight in Him, your Lord and Savior, the God of all comfort!
In Christ,
Pastor Basile
