Pressure and consolation

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 1v3-5

God’s timing is amazing. As I sat down to do my devotions this morning I had looked at the news. I saw that the dollar had fallen in value yet again and am sitting here with a heaviness in my chest, in fact, a pressure. As I started 2 Corinthians I read about the God of comfort who comforts is in our afflictions.

Now I realise that a weak dollar is hardly an affliction or a tribulation to compare with being persecuted, beaten, arrested, and being threatened with my very life. It is hardly like the attack on a missionary centre is America where a worker was shot and killed last year (as I am hearing on the radio at the moment). I just heard that the girl who was shot, before she died said, “We are doing this for Jesus guys, right?”

I know all that, and maybe my thoughts are a bit petty and self centred, but the fact is for me right now the weak dollar is a pressure. That is one of the things Paul is talking about here. The word for “tribulation” refers to a “pressure.”

It is during these times of pressure – no matter how petty or severe that the God of all comfort comforts us so that we can comfort others. We should indeed be doing all we do for Jesus. When we are the tribulations and pressure will be there, but we can turn to Him for comfort. Then we can share that comfort with others.

It my petty pressures today I need to rely on the God of all comfort so that my consolation may abound through Christ. Also, I need to use my struggles and afflictions to help others through theirs.