Comfort Comes From God

Every single one of us needs comfort.
In the Scriptures, in 1 Peter, it says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” It doesn’t say, “In case you have anxiety, in the off chance…” There’s an assumption here.
Cast your anxieties, because you will have anxieties. They will come, and this Scripture tells us what we are to do with them. The fact is we all need comfort. Matthew 5 says: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” This passage doesn’t say, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be given time to heal.”
True healing comes when we mourn the wrong in our lives, the things that happen that really should not happen. When we mourn, we receive comfort.
But we have to do something courageous. We have to admit, first of all, that every one of us needs comfort. In the Christmas story, the great message we receive is that God has brought us comfort. This is what the prophet says: “the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’).” Comfort, in Greek, is a word called parakaleo. Para is to come in close contact with and kaleo is to call.
“Comfort” is to come close.
God is now with us, and comfort comes from him. Hebrews 4 says: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way…”
That word, “tempted” is sometimes translated who has been “tested” through suffering. Jesus truly understands our challenges. “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
God comforts us with his presence. He comforts us with his power, and he comforts us because he understands our need. He understands what we all need as far as our hurt, our pain, and our sorrows. He knows you right now.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4: “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…”
The God of all comfort is the Father of compassion.
In Romans, Paul says, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
We have a choice. We can go and receive false comfort from the world, or we can lean into God and receive true comfort. Now false comfort comes in all kinds of ways. We may have a drink or get into drugs. Maybe we go shopping and buy that pair of shoes or the purse. Maybe we watch TV, get on the Internet or go back to a bad relationship.
Those are all temporary comforts. Years ago, when I was just becoming a believer, my son (who was 18 at the time) started using drugs, and at one point he disappeared for a month. He happened to leave me a message in the middle of that month, saying, “Mom, I’m OK. I’m coming home tomorrow,” but tomorrow came and my son did not come.
So I would wake up in the middle of the night with a sense of anxiety for my son – so I would listen to the voicemail, tell myself that he was OK and go back to sleep, because it gave me temporary comfort. But one day it didn’t work. I’d listened to it three times and in this moment of absolute anxiety, I almost ran out the door in my pajamas, looking for my son. Just as I got to the door, I realized, “Where am I going to go? I don’t know where he is!” I fell right there in front of the door and sobbed for my son. As I picked up my head, the light from the street shone through our front door’s window, and on my kitchen cabinet was a perfect cross of light.
That got me thinking of God, and I sensed in my heart, God telling me, “I have him. I love him more than you do. I know where he is. Give him to me. Trust me with your pain.”
At that moment, I surrendered. I said, “God, okay. You know where he is. Be with him. Protect my son.” At that moment, I felt a sense of comfort. It was a lasting comfort.
For seven years, my son struggled with drugs, but through that time, I had the sense of comfort that God had him even when I did not know if he would ever stop. That comfort lasted, and today my son is drug-free, is a believer, and is doing great.
Now, I didn’t know that was going to happen, and that comfort now lasts for me, not just for my son, but also because I understand that God loves my family and my friends more than I do. In that moment, I could choose to go towards false comfort or I could choose to accept God’s comfort.
I can trust him, and that brings me comfort that I am not the one who’s going to solve all of the world’s problems. God is.
In Isaiah 49:13, we receive comfort because God has compassion for each of us. “Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.”
Or perhaps you need Romans 8:28. God will work all things for good. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God does not bring evil into our lives, but when it happens, when hurt comes, God is there to make it good, to make something out of it.
We receive comfort so we can give comfort. I didn’t look forward to experiencing that pain with my son, but today I can comfort others because of what I experienced.
Perhaps you need to claim 2 Corinthians 4:15, because your suffering is not in vain. “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” You may know that what you are dealing with today is not going to go to waste. God is going to use it for his glory, for your benefit, and for the benefit of others.
Or, perhaps, you need Philippians 4:4-7. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
God is calling each of us to receive his comfort and to be agents of his comfort unto others.
I have tasted that comfort when I lost my mother, my father and when my sister disappeared. Then when I lost my brother to cancer and my youngest brother to a heart attack the same Lord met me. It is true God comforts. We taste something of the Lord we would never taste. We experience the fellowship of His suffering. So glad your son was restored to you. Thanks for your story and for sharing your heart.
Thank you @Anne Peterson Anne, It is encouraging when we share with each other how God has comforted and equips us to comfort others. Your story is a testimony of how desperately we need God’s comfort and how faithful He is to give it. Blessings.
AMEN
A M E N !
Yes, he does….. Amen….
Amen God bls u Orlando
I love this Ines. So true and so necessary for me today. Thank you.
Thanks Suzie. Isn’t it wonderful how in God’s economy, nothing is wasted?
Amen Amen
AMEN
Amen
Thank you jesus amen
Amen.
That’s very inspirational, GOD u know what we need at all times.
So true
<3
Urgh cant sleep bill troubles
and Amen.
i like that
Amen thank you Jesus
Amen
took e a while to learn this lesson; I used to laugh at others who would say this, but I’m not laughing now
NO DOUGHT!!!!!!!!!! AMEN
I so enjoyed!!
after my son Jeremiah passed on with the Lord he has given be comfort & peace like I have never experienced before….
@jeremiahsl I am so sorry about your loss and praise God that He has given you the comfort to heal and share with others. God bless you and thank you for sharing your story.
Thank u Lord… Amen…
I Needed This Push!
Amen!
Thank you Lord Amen
Amen
Give all sorrows to God and let them go
AMEN
AMEN.
Amen!
from God
Amen!
amen!!!
Amen
amen!!!
The ONLY COMFORTER….
Thank You Amen
JESUS knew I needed comfort, He has such mercy , I cryed.
I call them tears of gold.
I love the heart – shaped eucharist. Thank you Trochia, esp. for the beautiful scripture verses. As a Catholic Christian, I believe God is also close to us in the Churches oftentimes, with His comfort.
“AMEN”
Amen
Amen
Amen
I would tell my loved ones to look deep into God’s face. To trust His character instead of the things you see. He’s there, he’s promised. Look deep.
I would like them to know when u lean on god for everything& really have faith he is there for u in everything!!
Amen
AMEN… & LOVE This !
Amen!!
Blessed are those who Bless me, and Blessed are those who also Bless my dear loved ones.
AMEN
AMEN YES HE IS
To have FAITH IN HIM AND TRUST HIM
There are no more meaningful , powerful or beautiful words I could say than the blessing spoken by Moses , these are what I speak for them , Amen
TRUE
Amen
Beautiful…Amen!
Pray always and do not lose heart. Luke 18:1
Amen. Thank you Lord.
Trust in the Lord with all your Heart, soul, and mind and lean not on your own understanding but in all ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
Never turn your back on God. He is there for YOU.
I would like to speak blessings of assurance in the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to ALL who will ask for His forgiveness. I would like to speak blessings of KNOWING and feeling Him around them and near to them Always with just a whisper of His beautiful name. I would like to speak blessings of The Holy Spirit coming down on each of them to “water” the seeds of The Gospel of Jesus Christ in their hearts – that the seeds that have been planted there will forever “bloom” in their hearts. I would like to speak blessings that they will be able to believe that The Lord Jesus has the Power to Forgive a person of ANYTHING – if it comes from a sincere heart – no matter how big a mistake they feel they may have made. These are prayers I pray almost every day for people who feel . . . “But I can’t be forgiven for what I have done ‘or thought’ . ” Some of them are my Loved ones. – Thanks be to God who sees all, and knows all the reasons people do what they do, and think what they think – and He searches their hearts. A sincere heart speaks much to our Lord God –
amen
god loves you