God Gives Comfort

"3 Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who gives tender love. All comfort comes from him. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles. Now we can comfort others when they are in trouble. We ourselves have received comfort from God. 5 We share the sufferings of Christ. We also share his comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).


As humans, comfort - security - is one of our greatest needs. It's as strong the need for food or warmth. I think we've all experienced times when we were so anxious about something that we couldn't think of food. Children are very open about their fears. They are often more easily comforted. As children, a snuggle with mommy and daddy, or a cup of warm milk, was often enough to calm our fears. A good teddy bear and a warm blanket would make the night seem more friendly.

But as we get older, the fears grow greater, the night seems darker and somehow, our teddy bears seem smaller. It's not enough to have a fuzzy little body to hold. Sometimes we try to fill that gap by looking for a larger body to hold - we look to marriage as our defense against our fears. But no one man or woman can provide complete security. There are too many worries, too much heartbreak out there for the best of husbands or wives, the best of teddy bears.

God knows how desperately we need to be comforted. The Bible is full of
references to sorrow, fears, loneliness and the comfort God provides. When
Christ told the disciples of His impending death, He knew that they would
need comforting more at this time of their lives than at any other. And He
knew they would need strength to persevere through the difficulties ahead.
So He gave the assurance of the Comforter, The Holy Spirit.

The wonderful thing is, those same promises apply to us. We also have access to that comforter. He is ever present, and understands our every need. John 14:27 says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid." So we know that we can rely on God to listen
to our fears and give us comfort.

His Word is also a great source of comfort. How many of us have turned
to the Psalms to reassure us in times of trouble. The 23rd Psalm is probably the most frequently quoted piece of literature at funerals, because this image of God as our Shepherd is so comforting, even to those who don't have a personal relationship with Him. In Psalm 119:28 David says, "My soul is weary with sorrow, strengthen me according to your word".

God has left His written word for us as a tool for instruction and comfort. When we immerse ourselves in the Scriptures daily, those passages will come back to us in times of trouble.

We should not be afraid to seek God when we experience trouble and heartache, and need comfort. God is waiting for us his children to recognize that he is there. He wants to help us through these troubled times in our lives. God is never too busy to listen to us and to comfort us.

Peace and love,

Sue




"Be still and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10)