He Thanked God and Took Courage

God, Who Comforts the Downcast

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Paul had been through a storm, a shipwreck and a snake. When believers came out to meet him near Rome, “he thanked God and took courage” (Acts 28:15).

Hard days. Paul had hard days too. He once wrote, “Outside were conflicts, inside were fears” (2 Corinthians 7:5).

No rest. “For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side” (7:5). Troubled on every side means trouble everywhere he turned.

God comforts. “Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus” (7:6). Downcast means sad and low.

Who God is. Paul did not only say that God comforted him once. He called Him the God “who comforts the downcast.” Comforting His people is part of who God is.

God comes near. When His people feel low, God does not stay far away. He comes close, and He knows how to comfort each one.

How God did it. God comforted Paul “by the coming of Titus” (7:6). Titus was a fellow believer, and God used him.

Good news. Titus also brought good news about the believers in Corinth: “your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more” (7:7).

Right on time. God knew exactly when Paul needed comfort, and He sent it while the trouble was still going on. God knows when you need comfort too.

Who comforted? Titus came, but Paul said God was the One who comforted him. In the same way, near Rome, Paul thanked God when he saw the believers.

Joy in trouble. Paul wrote, “I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (7:4). Tribulation means hard times.

When you feel low. It is not wrong to feel sad or afraid. Tell God about it. If fears inside will not go away, or someone is hurting you, tell a parent or a trusted grown-up.

Tell God first. When you feel low, tell God first; He is the God who comforts the downcast. Then pray for one person who seems sad.

The gospel. Our sin left us far from God. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Everyone who trusts Him belongs to God, and God never stops caring for them.

What to do. This week, thank God for one way He has comforted you. Ask Him to comfort someone you know who is sad.

Near Rome, after the storm and the wreck, Paul met believers on the road: “When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage” (Acts 28:15). Paul knew what it was to need courage. He wrote about it to the Corinthians.

An honest apostle (7:5). “For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears.” Paul did not pretend to be above discouragement.

The God who comforts (7:6). “Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus.” “Downcast” describes someone brought low. God is not distant from low people; He comes to them.

The timing of comfort. Titus came while Paul was still in Macedonia, with the conflicts still outside. God’s comfort often arrives in the middle of the trouble, not only after it.

A title for God. Paul does not only report that God comforted him; he describes God as the One “who comforts the downcast.” Comfort is not luck. It comes from who God is.

Through a person. God’s comfort arrived with Titus, but Paul names God as its source.

Comfort passed along (7:7). “And not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.” The Corinthians comforted Titus, and Titus brought that comfort to Paul.

The source named. Paul credits God, not only Titus. In the same way, near Appii Forum Paul “thanked God” before he “took courage.”

Joy and trouble together (7:4). “I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.” Comfort does not always remove trouble; it strengthens the person inside it.

When fear stays. Fears inside are real. Bring them to God, and if a fear will not leave or someone is harming you, tell a parent or a trusted grown-up.

The gospel. The deepest comfort is peace with God, made at the cross. All have sinned, but Christ “died for our sins according to the Scriptures” and “rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Whoever trusts Him is never left comfortless.

Application. When you are downcast, go first to the God who comforts the downcast. Then pray for someone who is low, and be ready if God sends you.

How Good and How Pleasant

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Paul had never been to Puteoli or Rome. But when he got there, Luke wrote, “we found brethren” (Acts 28:14). Brethren means brothers and sisters in Christ.

Waiting family. God’s family was already there, in places Paul had never visited. Believers from Rome even came out to meet him (28:15).

A week together. At Puteoli the believers asked Paul and his friends to stay, and they “were invited to stay with them seven days” (28:14). God’s family welcomes one another.

Going out to meet. “They came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns” (28:15). They did not wait at home. They went out on the road.

Thanks and courage. “When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage” (28:15). Seeing God’s people made Paul brave again.

A happy psalm. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). Unity means being one, together.

Oil and dew. Psalm 133 says unity “is like the precious oil upon the head” and “like the dew of Hermon” (133:2-3). Oil and dew both flow down, like God’s blessing coming down on His people.

Blessing. The psalm ends, “For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore” (133:3). God blesses His people when they live as one.

One family. Everyone who trusts Jesus becomes part of God’s family. “To them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

Different, but one. God’s family has young and old people from every nation. They are different, but they belong to one Father.

Every place. Wherever you go, if you meet someone who loves Jesus, you have met family.

Your church. The people at your church are your brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank God for them; they are your family in Christ.

Going out to meet. You can be like the believers from Rome. Welcome new kids at church. Invite someone who is alone to join you.

The gospel. Sin keeps people far from God. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Everyone who trusts Him is brought into God’s family.

What to do. This week, thank God for the believers in your life, and go out of your way to welcome someone.

At Puteoli “we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them seven days” (Acts 28:14). Paul had never visited Puteoli or Rome, yet God’s family was already there.

Apantesis. “And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns” (28:15). “To meet” is apantesis (say: ah-PAN-tay-sis), going out to meet a visitor and bring him back with you. The believers did not wait in the city; they went out on the road.

A week of fellowship (28:14). At Puteoli they “were invited to stay with them seven days.” Hospitality is one of the ways the family of God shows itself.

Thanks, then courage. “When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.” Paul thanked God first, and then he took courage.

The psalm of unity (133:1). “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!” Good means right before God; pleasant means sweet to experience.

Yachad. “Together” in Psalm 133:1 is yachad (say: YAH-khad), as one, side by side. Unity is not everyone being the same; it is God’s people living as one family.

Oil and dew (133:2-3). Unity “is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron,” and “like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.” Both pictures show blessing flowing down from above onto God’s people.

How the family begins. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Faith in Christ makes strangers into brothers and sisters.

A family in every city. Paul arrived in Rome a prisoner, but he did not arrive as a stranger. The church is one family across every place.

The gospel. Sin separates us from God and from one another. On the cross Christ “died for our sins according to the Scriptures” and “rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Whoever trusts Him is brought into God’s family.

Application. Be one who comes out to meet. Welcome the new student, the visitor and the traveler, and thank God for the family He has given you.

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