“Praise be to the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and
the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
II Corinthians 1:3-4
It was so long ago that I don’t remember all the circumstances of this picture which I forgot I had until I was looking through my photos. I was babysitting for a friend and I think he was crying about something and snuggled up to my dog. My dog turned and rested his chin on the boy’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. That’s what God does to us. There’s a signed artist painting on a plate hanging in my den that I’ve treasured for many years. It’s a picture by Frances Hook of Jesus and little children. The part that I especially find comforting is that He is holding a child on His shoulder with His arms wrapped around the child. That’s my God! He not only looks at me and talks to me, but He enfolds me in His love and comfort and holds me close.
God of all comfort. God is not only the creator of the world, but He also created all our emotions and understands each one. God is the source of all comfort and when I need comfort and there’s no one around to comfort me, I know I can reach out to Him and He will envelop me in His loving, comforting arms. A friend who was like a second father to me was a big strong man, and when he gave a hug, it was a huge bear hug that almost crushed me. That’s the kind of comforting hug I picture from Jesus—one that you felt and couldn’t miss, not some wimpy hug from a fragile older person.
Pass it on. Jesus gives the best comfort for each situation whether it’s in joy or sadness, pain or trouble. Jesus had received comfort from His Father and was passing it on to others which is what we are to do as well. I can’t begin to tell you how many times something has happened in my life that later on I was able to turn around and use to help someone else in the same situation. Here are a few examples from Jesus’ life how He comforted others:
- In John 11 when His friend Lazarus died, He went to be with Martha and Mary to comfort them in their sorrow and cried with them.
- All Jesus had to do in John 20 to comfort Mary at the empty tomb was call her name and she recognized His voice and was comforted.
- The Disciples were comforted by Jesus when He told them in John 14 that He would not leave them alone, but would send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
- Matthew 5 in the Sermon on the Mount tells us that Jesus said those who mourn will be comforted.
- Jesus brought comfort to many people and their families when healing was granted.
Comforting others. How can we comfort others? I know from experience, it’s more about what you don’t say than what you do say. Telling someone platitudes like it will get better or they’re in a better place will NOT help someone who is grieving. Just listen to them and offer to be there without telling stories of when something similar happened to you. There’s time for that later. Yes, there’s a reason this happened, but now is not the time to speculate what the reason could be. At my Mom’s funeral, the most helpful thing anyone did for me was her brother/my uncle who I was close to just holding me while I cried without saying a word. In the weeks following the funeral, he would call me just to chat which I appreciated so much.
Perfect peace. Here we are full circle back to God’s perfect peace again. His comfort brings us the peace that only He can give. His comfort is the conduit that allows His perfect peace to flow in and through us. When we seek comfort from others, I believe it is the peace that we are really looking for. When we receive that comfort, we relax and can feel that calming, perfect peace permeate our being.
Tomorrow we’ll discuss one more characteristic of God’s love for us as we close out this Lent week before we head into a new week.
PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit as my Comforter when You left this earth. Please use me to be a comforter for others who need Your presence known in their lives.
- Week 1 – temptation
- Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
- Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
- Week 4 – God’s love for us
- Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
- Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
- Easter – resurrection and salvation