In the customary opening of his letters, Paul introduces himself as the author and indicated his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ, not by his own choosing but appointed by the will of God. His authority is important in this letter because later he has to deal with the opposition of false apostles. Paul included Timothy in his opening greeting because Timothy shared in his ministry and had ministered in Corinth with Paul. The letter was written to the church of God in Corinth and expected to be shared with all the Christians in the whole of Achaia, a Roman province which included all of Greece south of Macedonia of which Corinth was the capital. Grace and peace was Paul’s customary greeting and his desire was that those he wrote to would experience these in their lives as he shepherded them.

Paul points to God as the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. God is our source of comfort in every difficult situation we face so that we may in turn comfort those in any difficult situation they face with the same comfort we have received from God. Our trials and difficulties are not without purpose. Here we see that they serve the purpose of preparing us to be able to minister to others. While Jesus told us we would suffer (Matt 5:11; John 16:33), He also promised that He has overcome the world. He has not left us to suffer alone. The comfort of God is channeled through people as we comfort others with the comfort we have received. Paul mentions that the suffering we share is also for our salvation. This cannot be salvation for eternal life because then salvation would be by faith and suffering. Instead, he is referring to the ongoing transformation of sanctification leading to endurance (see Phil 1:19; 2:12), which Paul mentions in the second part of the sentence.

Paul indicates that his suffering in Asia was so beyond their ability to handle it that it brought them face to face with death. But that served to force them to rely on God, the one who raises the dead, rather than relying on themselves. Paul kept his focus on God who he trusted would continue to deliver them through their trials. But he also asked for help in prayer. Paul was completely convinced of the power of prayer knowing that God listens to the prayers of His people. When we pray for those who are going through troubled times, we also have the joy of giving thanks with them when our prayers are answered.

If you are going through a tough time, are you drawing on the comfort of God, physically manifest through the love of fellow believers? Are you asking others to pray with you? How can you provide comfort to others where they are going through something similar to what you have come through? Are you praying for others?