All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. (The Message).

The Bible leaves us in no doubt that we should expect the Christian life to be difficult. Someone said that directly or indirectly, suffering is referred to seventeen times in five verses (3-7). The word for ”troubles” (4, NIV), contains the idea of ‘pressure’. ‘While Paul doubtless was as prone to money worries, health problems and relationship conflicts as other people, faithfulness to Christ and to the ministry were the chief source of his troubles.’ Paul Barnett: ‘The message of 2 Corinthians’, p.30.

But God’s comfort is real, and we can know it. However, we are not to keep it ourselves, but pass it on to others. If it is ‘mine’, I need to understand it is ‘mine to share.’ When God takes us through hard times, for His sake, the suffering is not wasted. He does something in us that will enable Him to do something with us, in serving fellow-believers.

Don’t waste your trouble. Share around God’s comfort.