“When we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn… fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus.” 2Cor.7:5-6
Gracious Father, the incidental pictures in the Scriptures are often brimming with providential treasures. This picture of a restless, stressed, downcast Apostle Paul comes like a kiss from heaven on the Saturday morning.
It’s wrong to assume if we prayed enough, believed enough, had enough of the Spirit’s fullness, we’d be doing “cartwheels for Christ” all the time. The Gospel frees us to be human, not Superman or Wonder Woman. Sometimes the most godly thing we can do is take a nap. All work and no play might make “Jack a dull boy,” but all work and no rest and restorative friendships will make Jack a workaholic timebomb—destined to burn out, blow up, and possibly finish life walking the mall, mumbling to himself, all alone.
Father, thank you for comforting us when we are downcast. You don’t deride, chide, or hide from us. You are “the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort“ (2Cor.1:3). So what does downcast feel like? Finding ourselves somewhere on the 1-10 scale of emotional exhaustion and spiritual depletion, mentally taxed and physically spent. The higher the number, the more likely we are to isolate from others and medicate poorly.
So, Abba, thank you for the comforters you send us—not fixers, narrators, busy-bodies, or “spiritualizers”—because sometimes we don’t need a verse and sermon. We need unrushed presence and compassionate listening.
Titus was just one of many you could have sent to Paul. Paul was a busy man, but not so busy he did have a Gospel Posse pretty much everywhere he went. I think of Barnabas, Epaphras, Philemon, Luke, and Timothy; Lydia and Phoebe, Priscilla and Aquila, Euodia and Syntyche … to name a few. Thank you for our “Titus’s and Tina’s,” Abba. Make us welcomed comforters too, Abba—even today. So Very Amen.