So That...

May 29, 2023

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT

One of my young friends just had her first baby. Within a few moments of his arrival, he was wailing. I get it. The shock of leaving his dark cozy home and abruptly landing in a whole new world of bright lights and loud noises was troubling and frightening. But within just a few more moments this new momma had him wrapped tight, snuggled close, was murmuring little comforting sounds and words, and he calmed right down. Where did she learn to do that? Her own wonderful mother had done the same thing for her, and now she knew just how to pass the comfort on.

That’s the strategy for comfort in getting God’s dearly loved children through their trials and difficulty. When we are devastated, disappointed, or distressed, God our Father shows up. He holds us close, comforts us, speaks words of encouragement, and gets us through the hard place. He loves us so much that He stays with us and gives us just what we need to calm our hearts and keep going.

But though our Father loves me so much that sometimes I feel there could be no one else He loves that way, God loves each one of His many children just as much as He loves me. He delights to embrace me, comfort me, and pour out His compassion on me. But He doesn’t plan for it to stop there. He wants to mature me through His love so that I will be able to be filled with compassion, empowered and anxious to share that comfort with others.

God is an amazing connector. I am continually astounded at the way He connects the dots and causes our paths to cross with others who are currently in similar situations we once experienced, and saw God come through for us. Now we have wisdom, grace, and comfort to share. God doesn’t want His gifts to stop with us. “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.”

Think of the hard places God has brought you through—health, financial, relational, emotional—there are so many places where you have resources to be like your Father and pass on the comfort He has given you.

• This week we are thinking specifically about people in poverty. How has God cared for you financially? How can you pass that compassion on?