3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our affliction …
How does one bless God, who is “blessed forever” (Rom. 1:25, 9:5, 2 Cor. 11:31)? We cannot add anything to God, who is the Maker of all things. Nothing exists that has not been created by Him (John 1:3). Yet in the same way that God is “enthroned upon the praises of Israel” (Ps. 22:3), He is blessed by our praises. A blessing is not an object to be given but a response of one person to another, a conveying of favor and a wish for inner joy to the one being blessed. We cannot escape interacting with God in human terms, emulating human relationships. He chose to communicate with us on our level, using human imagery: consider His frequent anthropomorphisms, for example, “I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Is. 41:10).
As humans, we give God a blessing. He does not need or require it, but our giving it brings us close to God in proper relationship. It might be better stated that we need to bless God, rather than that He needs our blessing. Instead of minutely dissecting the nuances of this mystery, the heart that is turned to God instinctively desires to bless God, to do everything in life for His benefit and enjoyment.
This response, though, does not come out of a vacuum. Ironically it arises from coming to know God as the “Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” The word comfort could also be rendered “help” (as in John 14:16 where the Holy Spirit is called the “Helper,” using the same Greek root word). We know God by what He does for us. This is not sub-spiritual thinking that is inferior to praising God simply for who He is apart from what He has done for us. That distinction can be pressed too far when reading Paul’s writings. God is to be blessed precisely because of His work in us.
Comfort here is not to be seen as an emotional coddling, as though God were saying, “There, there, that’s alright. Everything is going to be better.” No, God promises to help us in whatever way we need in the difficult circumstances in which we find ourselves. This is true “in all our affliction,” not just some of our difficulties. In Scripture, this word “affliction”—used eight times in this letter—covers a lot of ground, including physical persecution, sickness, hardships, and tribulations of all kinds. The help of God will stand up to anything the world, the devil, or people may throw at us. We may not be saved from death or pain, but He will help us persevere, and He will sustain us in our walk of faith—and enable us to bless Him no matter what our circumstances.
Lord, help me now in the struggle I face, that I may bless You still!
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