Comfort, according to the dictionary, is either the state of being eased from pain or the activity of easing someone else’s pain. And Paul addresses both of these things in the first passage in 2 Corinthians. He talks about how God has comforted him during suffering, but also how that comfort is to comfort those in the Corinthian church. It’s a great starting topic, because it introduces the overall thrust of the letter beautifully. After all, comfort is about being strengthened in times of weakness or strengthening others in times of weakness, and that’s exactly what God does, all the time. He comforts us and gives us his strength so that we can praise him, trust in him, and share his comfort with those around us.
