Where’s Titus When You Need Him?
“In fact, when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way: conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus, and not only by his arrival but also by the comfort he received from you.”
2 Corinthians 7:5–7a (CSB)One recent Saturday night, I was, paradoxically, too exhausted to sleep. Spiritually, emotionally, and mentally, I just couldn’t rest. It had been a rough month of disappointments and uncertain outcomes, and on this night, even my prayers left me fidgety. So, I let the tears run down my cheeks, stuffed a pillow between me and my peacefully snoring husband, and seethed in frustration until my brain shut off.
You can’t expect to wake up refreshed after a night like that, and I didn’t. Worse, the first thought that greeted me in the morning was that I had a marriage group to lead at church. Awesome. How could I present hope to struggling spouses? I needed a break in my own life!
Paul and Titus offer a reminder that God is near, even when the answers aren’t obvious and troubles pile up. In 2 Corinthians, Paul had an accumulation of wounds and obstacles that left him scanning the horizon for relief. His relationship with the believers in Corinth was strained due to unresolved, long-distance conflicts. He had been on the brink of despair and death, had lost track of trusted Titus in a foreign city, and was “troubled in every way” because of the pressures upon him. But, Paul writes, “God…comforted us by the arrival of Titus.”
Has God ever surprised you with an unexpected solace? Notably, Titus comforted Paul by simply showing up with good news from Corinth, not by solving his issues in Macedonia! As for me, although they may not ping my cell phone precisely when I am raging against insomnia and frustration, many times a sermon or a song has perfectly captured the reality of God’s grace for me, or a friend sent me a note of prayer, or someone shared with me how God was at work powerfully in her circumstances.
These moments of grace do not erase my trouble, but they encourage me to have faith that my trouble will be resolved in Christ, in His time.
Why would God comfort us with good news other than the answer to our current troubles? Because He knows best how to care for us and equip us to care for one another. Paul wrote: “[God] comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Cor. 1:4 (CSB).
God is generous to sprinkle Titus-like messengers of hope throughout my life. It is up to me to be resourceful with them, and to share the hope I’ve received with the people he gives me to serve, even if I don’t have complete resolution of the troubles in my own life – yet.
Are you wondering where your help will come from? God doesn’t always give hope in the form of deliverance, but sometimes simply as reassurance of His faithfulness while we continue to wait for deliverance to come. Look for Titus! And remember that others need to be comforted…so look in the mirror, too. You could be just the messenger a restless soul needs.
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