Comfort: Monday May 20, 2013

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY MAY 20, 2013.

COMFORT

DEFINITION:

To sooth, console or reassure; to encourage, help, and strengthen; relief in affliction; consolation; a feeling of relief.

SCRIPTURE:

For the Lord comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones. Isaiah 49:13

For this is what the Lord says: As a mother comforts her child so will I comfort you. Isaiah 66:12-13.

If you have any encouragement from being unified with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one  in spirit accord and purpose. Philippians 2:1-2

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 who are in trouble, with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. II Corinthians 1:3-4.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

None of us go through life without being in need of comfort. We all experience sad and hurtful times in our life when we are in need of comfort and reassurance. In those times in our life we need to have someone who is there for us, someone we can turn to and receive love and compassion and support.

In recent months we have had communication from many new and old friends that are looking for someone to offer them some sort of comfort because of the trial they are going through. We have responded by assuring them of our prayers and sharing with them scripture that relates to their specific need. Many that we hear from are suffering from persecution because of their faith in Christ. Others are facing grievous family concerns such as a loss of a home, all sorts of economic concerns, a troubled marriage, concern for their children and much more.

We can give comforting words to those we meet daily but the only real comfort in our times of concern will come from our Lord. The verses that we have written above all give us the assurance that God our Father will comfort us in all of our troubles. This is an assurance that we all have every day if we are believers and children of God.

When we turn to God for comfort it does not mean God makes our troubles go away. What God does is give us strength to carry on. In the depth of our sorrows, He gives assurance of His love and provides peace and uplifting hope.

In the four verses we have listed above, we look at the word comfort from two different perspectives. First, and most important, the comfort we receive because of our relationship with our loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Secondly, the true and lasting comfort that God gives to us as one of His children so we can comfort each other.

God allows believers to suffer so they can comfort others in their time of need. Our own suffering prepares us to be comforters. As God’s representatives we have the responsibility of comforting others in their time of need, telling them of the comfort God can give them when they turn their lives over to Him. We are also to comfort others by sharing with them the gospel message of God’s saving grace and the blessed hope we have of the soon coming again of Jesus to this earth. Where can one receive more comfort than with this assurance even in one’s worst time of tribulation?

Isaiah says God comforts us as a mother comforts her child. Children, when they are growing up rely heavily on the comfort they can receive from a parent, sibling or grandparent. We can remember many times when one of our children would get hurt. They fell down and skinned an elbow or a knee and came into the house crying like they had broken every bone in their body, but just sitting on mom’s or dad’s lap healed that hurt in about five minutes.

Our children found comfort in our caring and reassurance that we were there for them and that all was going well. Young people often look for comfort from their peers but it is not always the right kind of comfort. As parents we must be aware of our children’s hurts no matter what age they are and then be there for them to offer uplifting words of comfort and support.

Spouses must be a source of comfort to one another in their times of suffering and sorrow. Many spouses and even children have only friends that they can turn to for comfort and there are not many true friends.  

As believers we have the responsibility and privilege to comfort others by sharing the comfort that God has given us. We need comfort from others, but God who is the God of all comfort gives us a comfort that is beyond any comfort anyone else can give.  The comfort that God gives is sufficient for every situation, need and every hurt we may face in life.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in John 3:16.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life.

PRAYER:

I look to You today as I do every day for the comfort that only You can give to get me through the tough times in my life and the hurtful things I may encounter today. Give me a new spirit of comfort so that I can comfort those that I meet today that need reassurance and direction in their lives. Bless my family and draw us closer to You each day that we live.