God Of Comfort

In lieu of a recent unexpected tragedy in my immediate church family, I decided I wanted to share some thoughts: “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 There are many things in life that present incredible challenges to us. Great suffering and pain that is difficult or impossible to explain or understand (c.f. Job). In the midst of our lack of understanding, and in the middle of our pain and grief, though God may not give us answers, He tells us that He understands and that He is with us through it all. Jesus says that He is able understand and relate to all that we go through (Heb 4:15; 5:7-8) and that He is able to represent us perfectly to His perfect Heavenly Father (Heb 10:19-22). Jesus calls us His friend and brothers (Jn 15:15). In these times of difficulty, whether we are personally experiencing them or not (c.f. 1 Cor 12:26; Rom 12:15) we should look to God who is able to provide all comfort (2 Cor 1:3-6) and peace. He can provide in such a way that it defies our understanding (Phl 4:7). We should also help those around us with the comfort that we ourselves receive from the Lord (2 Cor 1:4), sometimes this means prayer, listening, or simply being in their presence without saying a word (c.f. Job 2:13). None of us will ever have all of the answers, and God doesn’t expect us to. He simply desires that we continue to seek Him, knowing that though He won’t always share the answers with us, that He loves us and will remain faithful to us, continuing to work for our good (Rom 8:28).