Comfort: to give strength and hope to, to ease the grief or trouble of.
“God is our merciful father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.” Second Corinthians 1:3 –5.
We know that God has a plan and purpose for our lives. So what about all those difficult things that happen to us? Things like a divorce, a lost job, a troubled child, illness. What does God make of all of these hard times in our lives? And what’s the purpose of it all?
Many years ago I went through a very painful divorce. I can’t tell you how many times the Lord comforted my heart and strengthened me. He got me through one of the most difficult times of my life. Until I’d gone through a divorce myself I had very little compassion for people who were going through one. I didn’t understand it because I had never experienced it. But afterwards, I was full of compassion for those going through the sorrows of divorce. I was able to give comfort because God had comforted me.
I don’t mean to say that we can’t give comfort to someone going through an experience we’ve never had before, but the understanding is certainly so much greater when we have experienced it ourselves.
If you are going through a difficult time right now, know that the Lord wants to comfort you. Don’t be afraid to ask for it. Ask the Holy Spirit to wrap his arms of love around you and comfort and strengthen you. Ask often.
When we have received God’s comfort in our hearts during a difficult time in our life, let’s be available to those around us who are going through the same difficulties. Let’s comfort them also with the same comfort the Lord gave us.
2 Thessalonians 2:16 – 17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.
Jesus is Lord!
