Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The God of All Comfort


This life is full of so many ups and downs. It is undoubtedly easier to live in those "up" moments, but it is not always better. God can and does use our "down" moments to draw us near to Him. These "down" moments lead us to pray more pointedly, more fervently, and more desperately. Those are good things. When we are in those "up" moments we can easily get by without prayer (not in reality, but in our own minds), without any fervency or desperation.

My family and I have learned this through all the trials we have experienced with our son, Kaleb. As a kidney transplant patient, he is on medications that suppresses his immune system, so he can get sick easily. Any time he is not feeling good, it is easy to be catapulted into one of those "down" moments. This is just the reality of being a parent who loves your child.

But I have learned personally, that these moments cause me to rely more on God than I was before. I have learned that our God personally comforts those in affliction. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, "Blessed be the God and Father or our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our afflictions..."

Friends, it does not matter what you are facing today; our God comforts in ALL our afflictions. I am comforted; that does not mean I am always comfortable. But I am comforted. I have peace, even when I am desperate. Thank God for the trials you face; these pains bring you closer to Him and make you more dependent on Him than we often are without the trials. Keep in mind the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Savior knows the agony of pain. He knows what we face. And he is our Mediator and Intercessor. He can sympathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15) and he promises to give us sufficient grace for our trials (2 Corinthians 12:9). Run to him, friends.

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