The Blessing of Trouble

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 the apostle tells about the time he faced a deeply troubling situation in the province of Asia. In fact, it was so bad that he writes, “we didn’t think we were going to make it” (The Message). Some commentators believe that what Paul and his companions faced was a riot over the gospel where their lives were threatened. And yet, as Paul looked back on this traumatic event, he wrote that God “comforts us in all our troubles (or “affliction,” ESV) so that we can comfort others” (2 Cor. 1:4, NLT). This leads us to conclude two very important principles from this passage:

1. Trouble is often tailor-made to help make us a blessing to others.

Paul says they were:

· “crushed” (v. 8).
· “utterly burdened beyond our strength” (v. 8, ESV).
· “unbearably weighed down” (v. 8, AMP).
· “overwhelmed” (v. 8).
· “expecting to die” (v. 9).

This whole experience speaks of someone who has been broken. And yet, it is important to note that blessing always follows brokenness. The reason for this is that on a personal level we receive comfort from the Holy Spirit that helps us endure, and also, we become a comfort to others through our shared experience. In other words, we become “missionaries of comfort to others.”

2. Trouble often forces us to stop relying on ourselves.

It is interesting that Paul makes a connection between surviving a riot and growing more confident in trusting God. In The Message translation it simply says, “Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally.” All of us have had things happen to us that left us asking “Why?” Perhaps the secret to making it through trouble and difficulty is not asking “Why?” but “How?” The question becomes, “How can God use this situation to deepen my ability to trust Him?”