Comfort | Day 16
Matthew 11: 28-30; Isaiah 40:1-2; Psalms 91:1-16; 1 Kings 19: 3-9; Psalms 86:17; Psalms 119:50; Psalms 121:5-8
Please comment below with your conversation with God and/or insights from today’s Scriptures.
You can answer the following:
What are the Scriptures telling you about comfort?
When was the last time you needed comfort? How did God comfort you?
As a believer, what ways can you be more comforting to others?
What is your prayer to God regarding comfort?
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Shoulder For Tears | Lemuel Ayudtud
The passing of a loved one, a broken relationship, a lost job or opportunity, among so many others can lead us into moments even seasons of brokenness. In those times we need the comfort of a friend.
The Bible tells us that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. No matter what our personal experiences maybe when it comes to brothers (or even if we one), the Bible points to that friend who is with you no matter what happens. In fact another Scripture tells us that a brother is born for adversity, but a friend loves at all times. This friend is actually a foreshadowing of THE Friend that we find in God.
God is our reliable Friend who sticks with us when times are hard or foreboding. He is that Friend who is by our side through the ups and downs of life—a constant, caring, comforting Friend.
Have you ever had a friend that seem to know what’s going on with you without even asking? Have you ever had a friend who drops everything they’re doing to make sure that you are okay or to meet a pressing need? Ever had a friend who knows exactly what to say when you needed to hear it the most? If you have, you have been blessed. It’s a very rare thing to have a friend like this. The value of such friend is immense specially when reciprocity is not part of the equation for them. Well, if you have experienced that, then imagine God’s level of friendship for us!
Psalms 121 writes a beautiful picture of God—His Presence, protection, and comfort. The psalmist wrote that his help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. In this passage we are shown that God is his security and preservation and that in his going in and going out, God will be with him. Yes, David may have written this passage for himself, but we know that the character of God towards us is reflected in it. But however deep David’s writings about God maybe, we have a deeper experience available to us: David didn’t have Jesus.
In Christ Jesus, God took the pain and the hurt that we’d feel and carried it on the cross. He took our shame and our misery so we can be set free to become the person He intended us to be. And though we have mentioned over again that God will not remove any of those hurtful experiences (they are part of the experience of life and we grow by them), He will be there knowing the level of our need for comfort. He has the words not only for our hearing but also for the healing of our spirit. He will be the comfort for our tears, the shelter for our fears.
We have the gift that is the Holy Spirit. Christ in us the Hope of Glory! In fact when Jesus was telling His disciples about His departure from them in the flesh, He told them that He will not leave them comfortless, that He will come to them.
The Holy Spirit is actually known as the “Paraclete” or the helper or comforter. (Go deeper here.) He is the One that’s called to one’s side as an aid or a help. When you are needing deep comfort or help, the Spirit of God comes to your side to aid and assist you to suffer through and on. (A deep dive into the Greek word used for “comfortless”—in John 14:18–we see that Jesus said that He will not leave them as orphans or fatherless. That’s right! The level of comfort that God will give us goes past a good friend into a good, good Father.)
Of course we can’t look at the beautiful friendship that God offers us without us looking at ourselves. Because we are friends of God, we take on the purpose of God’s friendship and share them with others. We are the extension of God’s comfort.
You and I are called to be a reflection of God’s comforting friendship in this world. We are filled with His Spirit so that we can be a witness of God’s deep comfort. We are called to be a comfort to those around us. It is part of the gift that the Holy Spirit gives us. Our supernatural ability to comfort others is one of our tools for being a witness. The gifts that God gives us is set to help others in their moments of spiritual, even emotional needs.
Don’t shy away from those moments when a good word is needed to uplift someone. Don’t hesitate to be that vessel of comfort to those who are wounded and hurting. Be proactive in your reach to bring others out from their misery into their God called potential. Jude, a brother of Jesus, in his letter to the Church wrote that with compassion, we can make a difference. In a world full of pain, He is the Comfort and we are His shoulders for their tears.
Lord, thank You for Your enduring comfort. Thank You that You have been our comfort in the midst of sorrow and brokenness. We can be secured in Your care and love for us, and we can be comforted knowing that You are right beside us to hear us when we pray. Lord, help me be Your outstretched hand. Teach me to follow Your leading in touching hurting people around me. Give me courage to be bold enough to help those You’re seeking to help. Father, here are my hands, my feet, my mouth and my ears. Use me for Your glory by helping others through their pain. In Your Name Jesus, I pray. Amen.