Daily Devotionals
May 4, 2020
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:3–5
A faucet is a device that controls the flow of water (or any liquid or gas). If you turn it one way, water will flow. There can be a slight flow or a significant flow, depending on how far you turn the faucet. But if you turn the faucet in the opposite direction, the flow of water will completely cease. There will be nothing flowing as long as the faucet remains closed.
Paul does not use the word “faucet” in this passage, but he certainly compares our lives to one. He affirms the truth that God comforts us in our troubles. These words were penned by a man who had been beaten and run out of town for telling others about Jesus. His troubles were many! But notice the next words: “so that we can comfort those in any trouble.” Paul reminds us that the comfort we receive from God is meant to flow through us and into the lives of others. We are meant to be an open faucet through which God’s comfort flows.
Life has challenges. Right now it feels like life has an over-abundance of challenges. This passage reminds us that God is bigger than all of our challenges. Through Jesus Christ, God comforts us in our troubles. He showers us with love and gives us the gift of His presence. He weeps with us when we weep and encourages us when we are down. This comfort then empowers and enables us to give loving encouragement to others who are struggling, as God’s love and presence flow through us into their lives as well.
Are you an open faucet?
For Reflection
How has God comforted and encouraged you?
How can you allow that encouragement to flow through you and into the life of someone else?
What steps can you intentionally take to become an open faucet through which God’s comfort flows to others?
Prayer
Good and gracious God, I confess that I often trust myself and lean on my own understanding. Please forgive me. Help me instead to trust You with all my heart. I ask for Your help to submit to You in all my ways. I thank You and praise You for the truth that You will make my paths straight. Amen.
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