Comfort Causes Christian Confidence, Part 2 (Part 1 of 2)

The Frequency of Comfort Causes Confidence

Everything that comes into our lives has a purpose. Most specifically, that purpose is to create within a Christian a greater sense of confidence in God—in His faithfulness, in His ability to orchestrate things, to ensure circumstances play out according to His plan for our best.

In counseling sessions, when someone experiences pain, sadness, or difficulty, the question arises: Why do bad things happen to Christians? Why suffering, pain, sadness, or distress?

As 1 Peter affirms, suffering tests the genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold, though tested by fire, to demonstrate its value. A genuine faith, a real confidence in God, produces something more valuable than riches.

In other words, the version of you that exists on the other side of suffering is better than the version of you that would exist without it. The future you, having gone through pain, sadness, and depression, is way better because of the result it produces.

James chapter 1 affirms that testing produces endurance, resulting in a perfect and complete Christian who lacks nothing. Why go through this? Why should I get to go through this? It produces endurance and tested faith more valuable than gold.

When the Bible says you can be perfect, complete, lacking nothing valuable, suffering becomes easier to grasp. Specific to our passage, as we go through it, we receive comfort from God.

Passages like 1 Peter and James focus on the end result of suffering. Second Corinthians focuses on what it's like in the circumstance—going through difficulty, problematic situations, emotions that don't feel good, with friction. Verse 4 says God comforts us in all our affliction so we can comfort others with the comfort we receive from Him.

Comfort causes confidence—even in the midst of adversity. That confidence enables us to continue without being overtaken or overwhelmed.

You know what it's like to be overwhelmed—like a school project due with no work done. The odds feel impossible. Life's circumstances feel that way intensely. Confidence in God is what we need, and comfort provides it.

We looked at the frequency of God's comfort: He comforts us in every affliction. It equips us to comfort other Christians in any affliction—not just any comfort, but the exact divine comfort God gives us. We can give transcendent, godly comfort.

When do I get comforted? In every affliction. If affliction exists, God's comfort exists.

What if I don't sense it? One way we receive comfort is through other Christians. If we can give divine comfort, others can give it to us. We've all experienced affliction and God's comfort—we can share it without total life experience or training.

If isolating from Christians, we might miss divine comfort through them. We can experience solitude to receive comfort directly from God, but eliminate distractions quenching it. God doesn't fail His promise—He's omnipresent, comforting in every affliction, even minor ones. Any affliction qualifies; degree or frequency isn't limited.

The Frequency of Calamity Causes Confidence

Paul recognizes the frequency of affliction in Christians' lives. Verse 5: "For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too." Verse 6: "If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we do."

Calamity—troubled situations, distress—increases, tied to increased comfort. Apostles shared abundantly in Christ's sufferings; Corinthians would too.

Verses 8-11 detail apostles' suffering graphically: burdened beyond strength, despairing of life, feeling a sentence of death—to rely not on ourselves but God who raises the dead. He delivered us and will deliver.

How do you increase suffering? Why share abundantly? Isn't it better to escape adversity? We don't seek "safe spaces" from suffering. Nobody wants more sadness or pain. Christianity isn't about seeking suffering—like "Lord, increase my pain."

But suffering is synonymous with obedience to Christ. Apostles' suffering was for Corinthians' salvation and comfort—sharing in salvific activity, focused on the gospel.

To share in Christ's sufferings is to share in Christ's activity. The mission involves suffering. Paul was told he'd suffer for Christ's sake—not God bullying, but the gospel's effect.

Jesus' ministry infuriated sinners; He suffered as a consequence of obedience. Apostles continued it—all but John died for it; John suffered too.

In modern Western Christianity, it's easy to be idle Christians. Idle Christians don't increase suffering or confidence. Active Christians increase activity, thus suffering, discipline, endurance, and confidence.

How many know you're committed Christians—actively understanding and practicing beliefs? How many are offended? Do people slander you for standing for the gospel? Is there a sacred-secular divide, public-private distinction?

We don't all need to be missionaries—church needs all members. But active obedience increases suffering and confirms Scripture works as promised, building confidence.

The Frequency of God's Consistency Creates Confidence

God comforts in every affliction—consistent, doing what He said.

Verse 10: "He delivered us from such a deadly peril and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again."

God delivers His people from peril until their ministries finish. Do we define lives by ministry? Not just pastors—wives, mothers, all roles advance the gospel.

Life markers: school, college, career, retirement, death. Or time left to serve God? Jesus' entire life focused on the Father's will, not personal kingdom or enjoyment.

God's Central Focus in Your Life

Everything, even Jesus' death, was for the service of God. It was not an unfortunate consequence of his service, but the pinnacle and goal. Of course, it's different in our lives—we're not dying on the cross to bear the sins of God's people. But it does mean God must be the central focus of your life, especially what he has done, is doing, and will do until he calls you home.

Everything you experience has God as the captain of your situations. Before you were a Christian, God was working in your life toward your salvation, preserving you until he saved you. Now he sustains you. It's the same concept Paul describes: he has delivered us and we are confident he will deliver us again. God is always focused on our lives for our worship and service to him.

Since becoming a Christian, God has been advancing your sanctification. He has probably saved you from a thousand troubling situations you're unaware of. You may ignore God's hand in these situations and experience more trouble because you turn to idols for comfort instead of God.

Turning to God in Troubling Times

In the midst of turning to God for comfort, turn also to him for service, worship, and deliverance from circumstances. The whole point of the text is that troubling times lead you to rely on God, not yourself.

Do you know what it means to rely on God and not yourself? It means you can't even trust yourself to handle troubling times properly. If you try to convince yourself you can handle situations and deliver yourself, your resume will look terrible because of your sin.

The word "rely" in verse 9 means to be so convinced of something that you have no problem trusting it—there's no question it will work. If you saw a boat with a hole in it, you wouldn't be confident it would float.

To rely on God with confidence, see how he handles your adversity, delivers you from perilous situations, and comforts you. Focus on God in the midst of your most troubling circumstances so you can confidently step out to serve him, knowing he delivers from even the most extreme situations.

Seeing God's Way, Not Yours

See how he handles your comfort—not how you think he should. Putting expectations on how God should act leads to disappointment. See how he handles your adversity and delivers according to his plan and purpose. Then your expectations become, "Whatever the Lord wills."

When you properly see God's way in Scripture and your situations, you cannot help but have confidence in relying on him in all things. His way works best. The more you see how God works according to his plan, the more you realize you can depend on him in any situation to carry you through.

Don't be distracted by worldly things, no matter how good they look, or by situations, no matter how bad. The point of comfort in adversity is to draw God's people's eyes off the world and adversity onto him, so you can be confident in what he has you doing.

Would it bother you to know God divinely decreed your circumstances to create trust and confidence, seeing he handles all things well—for your good and his glory? You have something to worship and trust God for.

Enduring with God's Comfort and Deliverance

This doesn't mean affliction goes away. As James tells us:

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds" (James 1:2).

Affliction keeps coming. But you can have a qualitative experience through adversity: feel God's comfort, know him in it, and praise him in deliverance. The pain, sadness, confusion, and doubt remain—those human emotions respond to trouble.

Yet even then, turn to God's comfort and expect his eventual deliverance. You might not see it in this life—like those with incurable illnesses facing pain until death. Their deliverance is in 1 Corinthians 15, the ultimate deliverance when God brings us home.

As you endure painful, distressing situations, don't get comfortable with the world. Get comforted by the God who will eventually deliver you.