Comfort and Hope - 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good thing you do or say.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NET)

I lose hope sometimes. It seems like the smallest bump in the road and boom, I go from got-it-all-together to the sky is falling. And I try to keep that stress to myself, but somehow it leaks out and gets on everything. 

One minute, I’m like Peter who trusted the Lord so much that he jumped out of a boat on the sea of Galilee. He did not jump into the water. He jumped on top of it. Walking to Jesus. What a thrill!

Then, he noticed the waves. And down he went. 

And but for the arm of the Lord right there, he may have drowned.

He lost his hope in an instant. When he was actually in the physical presence of Jesus! (Hey, I’m so thankful that God gave us Peter in the scriptures) And I can lose it too, just that fast. 

I so need hope and encouragement!

This passage from 2 Thessalonians takes the form of a blessing, a prayer.

Paul starts by saying, “May the Lord Jesus Christ himself.” That is bold, right? Paul intercedes for the church by going straight to Jesus. The seat of power.

And Paul adds, “God our Father.” So Paul is asking Jesus and God the Father to pay attention. 

Then, before he makes his request, Paul lists a few relevant facts about God. These come in the form of listing things that God has done. 

• First, our relationship. He loved us.
• Second, Effect 1. He gave us comfort. What kind of comfort? Eternal comfort. That tells me something important. When I do not feel comforted by the Lord, it is not because He hasn’t given it. It means my eyes are closed to it. Hey, in that moment, when Peter could actually walk on the water, he quit looking at Jesus who was right there with him.
• Third, Effect 2: He gave us good hope. He gave it, so I already have it.

And by the way, verbally saying true things about God when praying, is something I should do too. This keeps my mind on Him, the one true God. As I pray, I must remind myself of who He is and his great and mighty power. And of course, His love for me. 

Paul is saying that I, by God’s grace, have eternal comfort and a good hope. 

And here’s Paul’s request for the believers at Thessalonica, that God would: encourage hearts and strengthen us in every good thing we say or do.

So, here’s what I’m seeing. God has already given me eternal comfort and good hope. I know that there is an eternal well of this that never runs dry.

And I still get to pray that the Lord will give my brothers and sisters in Christ encouragement.

And by extension, if I can ask God to give my brothers and sisters encouragement, I can ask that He give it to me too.

A failing of mine has been to NOT ask Jesus for encouragement. And then, I get so miserable when I don’t have it.

Sure the Lord gives it out even when we don’t ask for it, but it is clear that I should ask for it. And I should ask that He grant this encouragement to others too. We need encouragement!

What’s the last part of the prayer in the passage? That God would, “strengthen you in every good thing you do or say.”

You talk to those Christians who are serving. They are preaching, teaching, and leading worship. They are folding bulletins, washing dishes in the church kitchen, they are putting chairs and tables out.

They all need to be strengthened in all of the good things they do or say. They need encouragement. 

You need that strength that comes from God. I do too. We need it so that we can keep doing and saying good things.

I know that I get discouraged. I lose hope. I feel too weak to do anything good.

God is showing clearly in His word here, that I get to ask Him for it. And I would say that I must ask Him. Today.

Lord, today, I affirm that you love me. I affirm that you have given me eternal comfort and good hope. You’ve given this to all of your children even when we don’t feel it. Even so, I can declare it. I can declare it for my brothers and sisters in Christ and for myself. Lord, I want to do good things. I want to say good things. Please encourage me in those things. You love to give good gifts to your children. I ask for this good gift today. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.