Everybody, what is going on? You know what time it is. You're listening to join the Journey podcast with your host, Emma, daughter.

Thanks for joining. Have you ever walked alongside a friend going through a hard time but just haven't known what to say?

In today's Devo, Kristen reminds us that Paul wrote 2 Corinthians to express Thanksgiving for the repentant

majority, appeal to the still rebellious minority, and give a defense for his apostleship and

ministry. If you haven't gotten to read 2 Corinthians 1, if you're able, I'd recommend you pause the

episode and read it on your own. As a reminder, it's important to get in God's word on your own.

Supplemental resources like

this podcast can be helpful, but we don't want to rely on supplemental resources as our

primary source of spiritual food. In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul addresses an insecurity all of us have felt.

If you're anything like me, there have been times in your life when a friend's walking

through something really hard that you just haven't experienced firsthand. Maybe it's the loss of a

child, sickness, unemployment, a friend who's struggling to find contentment and singleness, or maybe

you've got a friend with an unfaithful spouse. How do we comfort our friends when they face something

we've never had to think about?

The enemy can feed us this lie that says we aren't qualified. Thoughts like, you don't know what it's

like or you'll say the wrong thing, can play on repeat. But Paul challenges this lie in 2 Corinthians 1.

He says, starting in verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies and God of all comfort.

Verse 4. 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. It's crazy. God comforts us

in all our afflictions or troubles so that we can comfort others who are

facing any affliction, trouble, or hardship. And we're able to do this because we, in our own

circumstances, have experienced the comfort of God. Paul began with the word blessed. And as I

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