Friend, Jesus suffered abundantly for you on the cross. He took your guilt and your punishment, your sins and sicknesses, and all your sorrows, and He died for them! And He calls you to now enter into the abundance of suffering with Him. There is much of it to be had! In this life, you and I will suffer a lot! There are all kinds of reasons for this suffering, but one we’ve already noticed is “so that you may comfort those in any trouble with the comfort you have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:5 NIV).
Question 4. According to 2 Corinthians 1:5 NIV, when believers suffer a lot, what do they experience?
Do you want to know one excellent reason why you and I should not run to the pantry right now and stuff ourselves with comfort food? If we did, we would miss something very precious and powerful. When we turn to food to comfort us, we miss the “abounding comfort through Christ.” For it is only when we “suffer with Christ” that we experience “comfort through Christ,”; both of which are “abounding.”
Friend, God has a supernatural way of taking your hand, lifting your head, and loving your heart. He has a way of warming you with His love, comforting you with His Word, and encouraging you by His Spirit (the “Comforter”- John 14:26). This comfort, like physical hunger pangs, is unmistakable and undeniable. It is precious to the hurting believer, and it is powerful in its effects. I missed it for years by turning to food and other fleshly activities, but I do not want to miss it anymore. How about you?
So, how do we actually experience this “abounding comfort through Christ”? I hope you are truly learning by now that it is experienced when we wash at the cross and when we walk by the Spirit. I want to share with you one example of this from Scripture.
The book of Isaiah is a miniature Bible in a way. It has 66 chapters, like the Bible has 66 books. The first 39 chapters of Isaiah follow very closely with the teaching of the entire Old Testament, even as there are 39 books in the Old Testament. When we come to chapter 40 of Isaiah, we begin to transition to New Testament themes, such as the reference to John the Baptist in Isaiah 40:3-4.
Look at the first two verses of Isaiah 40:
"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins” (Isaiah 40:1-2 NIV).
Question 5. In Isaiah 40:1-2 NIV, with what knowledge does God comfort His people?