2 Corinthians 7:6-7 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.
God came to the rescue in this situation and brought comfort to Paul and his companions. Experiencing suffering can lead to depression. The word “downcast” (tapeinos) can have different meanings, including something lowly, humble, of no account. In this context, the word seems to refer more to the discouragement that Paul and his companions felt in their ministry in Macedonia. God’s response came through the coming of Titus and the news he brought from Corinth. Noteworthy here is that God is the actor. It may appear that this was an act of Titus or word from the Corinthians, but God was behind all of it. This was an answer to Paul’s prayer. The lesson here is that God answers our prayers sometimes through prompting and leading other people to act. There is a chain of events here: God worked in the Corinthians who told Titus who told Paul. Paul attributes this all back to God. Paul started this letter with the idea of God as comforter, and reminds the Corinthians here of their part in God’s comfort. These verses directly reflect on 1:3-7.
Paul and his companions recall the effect Titus’ coming had upon them. He brought news of how things were going in Corinth in three specific areas: longing though for what they are longing is not clear but possibly related to Paul, mourning possibly from suffering and questions that appear in 1 Corinthians, and zeal for Paul and hope to see him. News through Titus brought joy from Paul. There were many things that could have brought discouragement, such as if they were not responding to the gospel in an appropriate way. But everything seems to indicate that they were sincere believers in Christ, although they had challenges in growing in Christ, which is the reason Paul wrote these two canonical words.
Our response to God and the good news of Jesus Christ can bring encouragement to other people or just the opposite and cause great pain. We can learn from the situation in Corinth. They were real people, authentic in their struggles, but in the end, they found strength for their journey.
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