Paul was an apostle by the will of God and wrote, with Timothy, to the Church in Corinth with a blessing of God’s grace and peace.

Paul gives praise to God, the Father of compassion and God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in trouble with the comfort we have received. Paul connects our experience of sharing in Christ’s sufferings with our experience of comfort abounding through Christ. Paul and Timothy went through these experiences for the Corinthians’ sake as well, that they might also share in the same kind of sufferings with the same endurance and comfort. We experience greater depths of comfort sharing in Christ’s sufferings.

Paul shares with them how the troubles they experienced in Asia reached the point where they despaired of life as if under a death sentence. But it happened that they might rely on God, who raises the dead, rather than themselves. And his faith was that God would continue to deliver them by the help of the prayers of the Corinthian believers, resulting in many giving thanks for God’s favor. Many Christians worldwide need our prayers.
Application: Lord, help us experience your help and comfort as we carry our cross.
One Word: The God of all comfort