A God of Comfort
- The Narrow Path
- Jul 4, 2017
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 10
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 (2 Corinthians 1:3-5, ESV).
Where are the places you find comfort?
Cuddled under a soft blanket with a hot cup of coffee.
The sound of a basketball pounding the pavement.
A drive through the countryside with the windows down, worship music blaring.
Ice cream. Always ice cream.
Google describes comfort with the following two definitions:
I am grateful for things that bring comfort. During difficult moments, or even seasons of life, we long for something or someone to swoop in and ease the burden of our emotions.
A prayer for our hurting hearts offered up in private.
A warm meal prepared by a loving neighbor.
A few sweet words from an unknowing stranger.
When we find ourselves yearning for comfort, and longing for relief from the heaviness of our emotions we often reach out for comfort in all the wrong places.
We tip back the bottle one more time.
We pop just a few more pills than prescribed.
We devour the entire bag of chips.
We retreat into isolation to peek at pornography.
Temptation is part of life. The enemy uses the brokenness of our past to keep us chained to bondage that prevents us from ever stepping out of comfort, and into the future God has planned for each of us.
Comfort. It may provide temporary relief, but it will never hold permanent victory. That can only be found in Jesus.
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 (2 Corinthians 1:3-5, ESV).
We have a choice. It won't be easy, but when we choose Jesus, He will help us learn how to lay down the bottle, flush the pills, and say no to the lies of the enemy that convince us there's no way to escape the struggles we're experiencing. Instead, as I am learning through my own experiences, is that we must remember this truth:
God always provides precisely what we need to survive the darkest, and most difficult seasons in our lives.
Whether we are able to see it in the moment or not, God uses our struggles for pruning, to produce great fruit. Instead of reaching to worldly things to bring comfort, may we choose to instead look to Jesus. Seek Him. We serve a loving and merciful Father who is the God of all comfort. He may not always immediately remove the thorn of suffering, but He promises to lovingly walk alongside us for eternity.
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