Joel Littlefield

Can indirect comfort still be directly from God? – A Devotional

I don’t know about you, but upon reading 2 Corinthians 1 for most of my walk with Christ, I always brought away the hope of sharing the comfort I received from God with others in affliction. I would read verse 4 where it says, “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Upon reading that, I would desire to be used of God to comfort another. This is a good desire, and I hope you share it with me. I confess to you that where I lacked in desire was to be the one receiving the comfort from another who received it from God, the God of all comfort. However, we must understand that in God’s plan for comfort, we cannot be picky about His details. Here’s what I’m saying, in our affliction we needn’t hope for comfort directly from God in our alone time with Him as if that in itself is superior. We, in our affliction, need to be just as open to receive comfort from another who has received it directly from God in their alone time with Him. We must have the attitude toward Christ that whichever He chooses for us is the superior way for that time. God has set things up this way. We need to in fact feel just as blessed in the plan of God to be comforted by those comforted by God as we would feel if we were those comforted directly by God. This is His plan and purpose. This plan is a beautiful one, for God does not leave those who are to share His comfort with the afflicted to do so on their own. Verse 5 in 2 Corinthians 1 says, “For as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so our comfort overflows through Christ.” Do you see that? The comfort passed on is through Christ. Jesus and the Father are one. There is not One superior or inferior to the Other. Both options are equally sufficient for the afflicted to find comfort. Where in the cycle will you be? It matters to God where you will be, but whichever way He chooses shouldn’t matter to you. Embrace either. Be the comforted by the Comforter in order to be the comforter through Christ. Be comforted through Christ by those comforted by the Comforter.

Praise God that we can partake in His sufferings. Praise God that we receive His comfort.

“And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will share in the comfort.”
2 Corinthians 1:7

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