Source Of Comfort

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

2 Thessalonians 2:16–17

In chapter two of 2 Thessalonians, Paul addresses the fears and misunderstandings the church of Thessalonica was experiencing concerning the return of Christ. After Paul addresses these, he then encourages the church to stand firm and find their comfort and contentment in Christ.

In his prayer, Paul expresses that God is the source of comfort, peace, and contentment. And that the grounds of that reality is his love. His love is made evident by his giving of eternal comfort and good hope, not by our works but by his grace!

I find it interesting that Paul does not spend his prayer asking that their circumstances would change or that the difficulties and persecution would stop, but that they would receive comfort through God our Father and Christ.

Why is this?

Well, I could say a lot about this, but I’ll focus this article on what I think is the foundational reason and what God encouraged me with when reading this passage.

It can be easy for my faith to recede when my circumstances are not changing. These moments often reveal that my hope for peace, comfort, contentment, and joy is rooted in what’s happening around me rather than Christ. I can quickly lose sight of what Jesus has done for me, is doing in me, and is preparing for me in eternity because I’m so focused on what isn’t changing around me.

I think Paul understands this temptation. He knows we find comfort and contentment in our circumstances through trusting God and knowing eternal rest is coming, and we have good hope that it will happen. Our hope in this is secure because it is not based on our merit or achievement but on God’s grace to give it to us on Christ’s account.

I pray God gives us eyes to see past our circumstances and find contentment and comfort with hearts established for every good work and word! Let us press on in the race marked out for us, striving together for endurance with purity and passion for God’s glory.

Grace,

Shawn