Needing some comfort?

 

With the deaths of my sister and her grandson, and the deaths of friends from Covid, I’ve prayed much this year that God would comfort His people. Yet in our human sinfulness, we sometimes turn to other sources. We look for people to do it, or distract ourselves with activities like shopping, baking, even sleep, or try everything from music to chemicals and drugs to calm ourselves instead of turning to the One who has great compassion on His people. As David said, the Lord’s presence has great value, even in the worst discomfort of all — the threat of death:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

He and others who wrote the psalms knew that when they needed His comfort God could bring them strength. They said things like this:

Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me. (Psalm 86:17)

When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O Lord. (Psalm 119:52)

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Psalm 131:1–2)

For the Lord will vindicate his people andhave compassion on his servants. (Psalm 135:14)

All these verses use the word “to COMFORT” which means “to alleviate sorrow or distress; give emotional strength to” and describes what many of us need these days — a touch from our Almighty God to give us “gladness for sorrow” and “consolation” in our troubles and confusion.

In the NT, people comfort people yet the greatest source is God whom we bless:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3–7)

This comfort from God not only does its job but gives purpose to itself and to the suffering it alleviates. Because of both experiences, I can have compassion on others who suffer. When I get sick, I feel for others who are sick. When I struggle with problems, I can more easily relate to others who struggle. When I suffer loss, I have greater empathy for others who are grieving. Not only that, whatever God uses to comfort me in those experiences I can use to bless and comfort others.

When my father died, many people tried to comfort me but most of what they said or did fell short. Then an obviously excited young woman bounced up and said, “I know this may sound a little strange, but I am so happy for your dad.” That was comfort! She took my mind off ‘poor me’ and put it on the joy in heaven that my father was experiencing. God bless her. That same thought carries me through grief and it does the same for others whose loved ones have gone into the presence of the Lord.

God comforts the downcast, sends encouraging words and people to us, and gives us whatever we need to alleviate our pain and build us up in truth and in a positive sense that His will is being done and it is right. In trials, the enemy will whisper, ‘God does not love you . . . look what is happening’ but the Spirit of God says just the opposite. For this reason, Jesus called Him The Comforter.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Using Scripture to gaze at the character of the Lord helps me to realize that no matter what is happening, He is with me, He knows how I feel, and He will never stop loving me or caring about my situation, even using it for good — to transform me into the likeness of His Son. His goals give life’s sorrows a great purpose and that purpose gives me great comfort!