The Same Comfort
The Same Comfort
Reading: Psalm 35; 2 Corinthians 1-2
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7 NLT)
Hard times are never wasted if we find God and receive his help and comfort in our difficult situations. The experiences we have are preparation for helping someone else who will soon be facing something similar.
It’s so important for me to stop whining when things are going badly! I must get my eyes off how I’m feeling and look for God in the situation. That doesn’t mean that I should pretend it’s not a problem or that it doesn’t hurt. It does mean that I must exercise faith, that I can pray and praise, that I will obey what God tells me, and that I will trust him for the outcome.
It’s not just about me! It’s about God preparing me to help someone else who is going through hard times. It’s about you and me giving someone else the same comfort God has given us in our troubles!
Stop for a quiet moment right now, friends, and ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind someone you can comfort with The Same Comfort our Father has given you. Even if you’re still hurting a bit (or a lot) there’s someone who needs what you’ve got! When you know who it is, please call, text, email, drop by, or do something right away to make contact with them! They need The Same Comfort!
Prayer:
Father, We’ve been working on this a long time, but I don’t want to give up. Help me to look beyond myself and how I’m feeling and learn the faith-lesson in each hard thing I face. I want to be able to help others, who are facing the same things you’ve allowed me to go through, by giving the same comfort you’ve given me. Amen.