Psalm of Praise: Psalms 134:1-3
Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord
who minister by night in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.
Background
In his ministry St Paul suffered many hardships, including persecution, torture, imprisonment, and shipwreck, as well as a physical ailment, probably to do with his eyes. At different times he feared for his life and felt he was under the sentence of death.
Paul’s second letter to the Christians in Corinth was written during one of these times of great hardship and yet he was able to write these words:
Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
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.
A Reflection
Most of us have faced some sort of trouble or loss in our lives. I wonder what sort of trouble or loss you have faced. Maybe you are dealing with a particular difficulty at the moment today.
Paul’s experience was that God comforted him in his troubles. It is clear from his writings that Paul received comfort from God in many ways. He would undoubtedly have received comfort from the presence of the Holy Spirit within him and from his reading of the scriptures.
Paul also received comfort from the presence of fellow Christians who stuck with him, and from the gifts they sent to him, even when he was in prison. I think he probably also found comfort from being able to write letters to encourage his friends in the Christian communities in which he had ministered in the past.
I wonder how you received comfort when you were struggling. Were you aware of God’s presence with you, or was it the presence of others that encouraged you? Did you find comfort in words from the bible or was it the words of others strengthened and sustained you? Can you thank God now for the comfort you received in the past?
Paul tells us that it is with the comfort we have received from God that we are able to comfort others in their trouble. Are you aware of anyone today who is struggling? Is there anything from the comfort that you have received in the past that you are able to comfort them?
A Prayer
Father of compassion, thank you that, in times of trouble, you are always there.
I come to you now with the troubles of those I know and love… Comfort them with your presence and show me how I might also bring comfort to them.
Amen
Glory to God our Father (The Father of all compassion)