Comfort

"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 have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4

This verse is absolutely beautiful, in our suffering we are comforted by God - it says that God is the God of ALL comfort. God has a purpose for our suffering and a purpose for our comfort. When we suffer it allows God to show His power and it allows Him to show us how much He loves us. All throughout scripture it says that God is a deliverer, He will deliver us. In our suffering, if we look to Him... we will always be delivered and will always come out ok in the end. Our suffering also is used to help us relate to people later in our life on earth. We could meet someone who is going through the same thing we once went through and we can comfort them.

~God gives comfort, we receive comfort and we share comfort. Our comfort from God is a loan, we are to share it. Just like when we receive the Lord's love and share it, so it is with comfort.

"For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." 2 Corinthians 1:5



Sometimes all we can do is stand with someone through suffering, we may not have all the answers, we don't need to have all the answers. Putting an arm around someone when you don't know what to say may sometimes be uncomfortable, but we must do it. Give them your hand, put your arm around them, hug them... touch is a huge way to comfort and connect with someone who is suffering. Our suffering reminds us of how much we Christians need comfort and will then turn our focus to comforting others. I love how everything in Christianity is about others... I truly do. How does our suffering have to do with others? In every way imaginable. When we are "others" focused instead of "self" focused we are freed from self pity and depression. There is something about serving and encouraging that makes us alive, and it is God's love. When we are being selfless and loving without expecting anything in return, we are acting completely like Christ.

~"God doesn't comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters."

We can either wallow in self pity or use our suffering to comfort others. Let God use you in your sufferings, God sees us through every season.

~"You must live with people to know their problems, you must live with God to solve them."

~I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

What to do:
1) Be a good listener: don't try and answer them, just listen
2) Show sensitivity
3) Acknowledge their pain: it's emotion, it will pass. Touch - arm, hand, hug.
4) Just being present
What NOT to do:
1) Don't avoid the grieving person
2) Don't criticize their actions
3) Don't say "I know what you are going through" unless you truly do
4) Don't try to answer the big question: why? - You can't.
5) Don't try and have all the answers, you won't. Just be by their side.
6) Don't give cliches, "time heals all wounds". No one really wants to hear that.

It is important just to be there with them, let them suffer. Point them towards God, but be their while they suffer. Our confidence should be in the Lord, not ourselves. Hardships drive us into the presence of the Lord and drives us closer to Him. Suffering is meant to bring us into a greater confidence in Christ - He has delivered us before, he will deliver us again. God keeps His promises, He is able... if God had a batting average it would be 1,000. Our promises aren't like God's - in God is [YES] always.

~"but in Him it has always been YES. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are YES in Christ... set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." 2 Corinthians 1:19, 20, 22

God never made a promise that was too good to be true. The Holy Spirit is a down payment, a blessing of what is to come... a guarantee of what is promised to us. In Greek comfort means to "come along side". The Holy Spirit is our comfort, the Holy Spirit comes along side of us to guide us, direct us, strengthen us, comfort us, etc. Even Jesus needed comfort from the Father when He was crying out to Him in the garden of Gethsemane before He was crucified. So let God use you in your suffering, let Him comfort you and allow others to comfort you, so that when you are delivered from that season you can overflow with Christ's comfort onto someone else.