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Wildflowers in Val d'Orcia, Italy. Photo by Charles F. Stanley.
Daily Devotion

The God Who Comforts

When pain seems unbearable, ask God to teach you how to rely on His strength.

January 23, 2024

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

When life gets difficult, how do you respond? Do you begin to doubt God, wondering why He’d let adversity happen? Or do you turn to Him, seeking to better understand His ways and grow stronger in faith?

While in Asia, Paul and Timothy faced hardship and persecution. Today’s passage says they “were burdened excessively, beyond [their] strength” (v. 8). But they chose to put their hope in the Lord and trusted that He would comfort them in their affliction.

Paul writes, “For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ” (v. 5). The apostle explained to the Corinthian believers that the trials he and Timothy endured taught them to rely on God’s strength, not their own. Bolstered by God’s faithfulness in the past and the prayers of other believers, they held on to hope.

We will all face difficulty at one point or another. And when that happens, we should try to respond like Paul and Timothy—trusting in the Lord, even though our pain may seem unbearable. Ask the Lord to comfort you. His power is unparalleled and available to every believer.

Bible in One Year: Exodus 22-24

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