If we will accept it, God is indeed the God of all comfort in any form of tribulation we may endure. Paul’s definitive statement to that effect in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 may leave you a little cold:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

“If this is so,” you may ask, “why don’t I feel any comfort?”

I don’t know about you, but when I look back on times and situations in which I felt like that, it’s not been God’s fault; in reality, the fault lay with me.

You see, my focus in such times was myself, not my God. So even though I knew about God’s sovereignty, His purposeful arrangement of life’s circumstances, His love for His children, His loving correction, and so on, I simply chose not to focus on and put my faith in those truths. In a perverted sort of way, it was much more satisfying to feel miserable and complain about what I was going through.

If we turn from such self-centeredness and become truly God-centered in our times of affliction, we will indeed find that Paul is right. There is comfort in knowing that God is in control; His control is purposeful; His purposes are rooted in love; His love is expressed for my ultimate good and His ultimate glory.

We will further find ourselves even more useful to our God in ministering His truth to others. Just very recently, in fact, I was able to share a personal struggle in which the Lord taught me some valuable lessons with someone else going through similar struggles. I could never have done so as effectively had I not been so “comforted of God.”

Without a doubt, the heartaches of life can be great—overwhelming, at times. I may have no clue about the depths of your hurts, the extent of your tribulations, and the despair you may be feeling as a result. But I would encourage you, if you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, to focus your attention on your God through all of this. From what He’s revealed about Himself in His Word, what is He like? Why does He do the things He does? Why does He allow difficulties to come in the lives of His people?

Work through these questions; discover the truth about your God; allow it to bring comfort to your heart. You’ll discover two things.

First, there is a peace of mind you can have even in tribulation.

Second, there’s someone else out there waiting for you to share what you’ve learned.

Indeed, may the Lord bless richly even in your tribulations.