Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

Do you ever feel like God is distant? Does it sometimes seem that God doesn’t understand you and your problems? It may be that we sometimes forget that the Lord we serve is all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful. No matter what we are going through, no matter how difficult, God is there and fully understands.

God Knows How We Feel

Not only does God know everything, in Jesus Christ, he has suffered the same things that men and women suffer. God knows how we feel when we are discouraged and in physical or emotional pain. Certainly, God can wrap his mind around anything. He hears us when we are discontent and challenged by our circumstances. In fact, he understands us far better than our family, friends and even better than we understand ourselves.

In this passage from 2 Corinthians, Paul is praising God as “the Father of compassion.” He further asserts that the Lord is “the God of all comfort.” He indicates that the comfort we receive from God can be passed along to comfort others.

What does this mean? We are comforted by the promise of salvation through the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ. When we suffer burdens beyond our own ability or strength to overcome, we can abandon our own strength and rely on God. We serve a mighty God, a miracle maker. We serve a merciful God; he will forgive our sin and we can share this message with others.

When we have worldly trouble, remember that Jesus has already overcome the world. As Christians, we do not run from God when we have problems, we run to him. The Lord helps us and comforts us.

Yesterday’s Devotional: Times of Refreshing