What does 2 Corinthians 1:3 mean?

Paul often begins his letters by giving thanks to God for those to whom he is writing, as well as praying for them in some way. This letter is different. Instead, he begins by focusing on God's comfort to those who experience affliction. As later verses will reveal, Paul had recently endured an incredibly traumatic event in his life. Instead of praying for his readers, he will ask them to pray for him.

He starts out, though, by offering praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul often focuses his prayers on God the Father, something possible only through personal faith in Christ the Son, who is our Lord (John 14:6). Paul calls God by two names: the Father of all mercies and the God of all comfort.

Because God stands in the position of judge over all people, He is also the source of all mercy. Instead of executing judgment on all who deserve it—which is all of us—He freely gives His mercy to those who come to Him through faith in Christ (John 3:16–18). Paul understands that in the middle of our suffering and affliction, believers must remember that God has given us mercy and will continue to do so.

He is also the God of all comfort. Christians do not run from God to seek relief from their pain; they run to Him as the source of comfort. God's comfort is a major theme of 2 Corinthians. Some form of the word translated comfort, paraklesis in the Greek, appears 29 times in this letter. The idea of the word is more than just momentary relief from pain; it also involves encouragement and strengthening. God's comfort allows us to quit striving in our own strength against suffering and affliction and to rest, to be strong, in His strength.