Reblog from Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3
The complete verse reads: 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 offer comfort to those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
When I was writing Summer Storms, I searched the Bible for a verse I could use in a particular scene. I was using my grandmother’s Bible and found she had underlined this passage. I wondered when she had taken note and found comfort in those words. What had she been going through? Was she thinking of someone else needing comfort and finding her marching orders to reach out to them through these words?
Millions of people are hurting and in need of comfort. This past week, my family has faced serious health issues; a dear friend had a biopsy done; and two funerals for tragic deaths took place just days apart. I wonder how anyone can survive without God’s comfort. He offers it freely to those who seek Him, yet many resist.
By resisting God’s comfort, though, not only are we hurting ourselves, we are robbing others of receiving comfort through us in their own times of need. How can we offer something we have not received ourselves?
When my grandmother died, I heard the words of comfort offered by friends and family as mere platitudes. I was consumed by my grief and angry at God for taking her from us. I wasn’t capable of accepting the comfort being offered. Now, when I attend a funeral, I want to be the one offering comfort without sounding like a cliché of platitudes. It’s a challenge. We all feel grief differently. Those words that couldn’t get through to me, may be the exact words someone else longs to hear.
Only God knows how to reach us in our times of trouble. He knows exactly what we need to hear. Comfort also comes in action rather than words. A neighbor mowing the yard when someone is sick; a church group arranging meals following a surgery; a good friend sending a card or DoorDashing a box of donuts.
We will face struggles and heartaches until the day we die, but take heart, God has overcome the world. He is waiting to offer His comfort so you may pass it along to the next person in need. Open your heart and receive His comfort today.
Old Things R New 