2 Corinthians 1

When our lives are challenged in any way,of course we pray for The Lord to guide us through these &/or plead with Him to give us victory that is huge so our lives might be a miraculous exhibition of His Mighty Power...and we should as Philippians4:6 says.”do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God”.But 2Cor1:3-7 says there is much more that we need to be praying about/for in and through challenging times.In fact these verses in 2Cor imply that there may be much more significance in/through tough challenges for us if we have the perspective of 2Cor1:3-7 on our hearts as we pray through life’s most difficult challenges->2Cor1:3-7”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.For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.”These verses say that God has blessings of COMFORT in the middle of challenges...blessings that once in our lives,they will benefit those around us for the sake of others coming to have the same comfort in trusting The Lord! A COMFORT that is a miraculous exhibition of God’s Presence miraculously comforting us in/through the UNCOMFORTABLE things bad enough to be called afflictions(a cause of persistent pain or distress/something that causes pain or suffering).In the middle of afflictions Paul is saying that our perspective should be on how these things may be opportunities for our lives to reflect something supernatural->a comfort/a peace that surpasses all understanding! Interesting that the very next verse,after Phillipians4:6 mentioned above the Bible says the same thing->”And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”This peace/comfort is the only promise of the prayer of Phillipians4:6!There are absolutely many times in the Bible and in the lives of faithful believers that God also brings other blessings through these prayers.But the only promise in the verses from Philippians,& what 2Cor1:3-7 talks about...is the peace that surpasses all understanding->the comfort that only The God of Eternity can offer!And this comfort is what 2Cor1:3-7 describes as a significant opportunity for those around us to see what only Christ can provide for those who fully trust Him(2Cor1:5,For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”)....maybe even one of the best/more significant opportunities for those around us to have an up close and personal firsthand experience with The Lord is as they share in our comfort/our peace that surpasses all understanding!So,as we pray about life’s challenges we should not say “amen” before we make sure we pray for the comfort that God promises in the middle of them!And then,”look for the comfort”,because God promises it to us! Dear Lord,I stop short in my prayers so many times...stopping short of praying about the comfort You promise,& thereby miss so much more that You desire for me,& for those around me.Help me,through Your Spirit, to change this in my prayer life as well as my living in and through every day You give me.