“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, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (1 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV)
The Lord comforts us in our troubles. Pause with me for a moment and revel in the reality of the God of heaven slowing down to sit with us in our sorrow. Note, He is not inexperienced with suffering: Jesus has walked on earth in flesh and subjected the Godhead to the excruciation of temptation, the trauma of sin and even death. God is not too far-off to understand or too insulated to empathize. Jesus suffered and the Godhead got it: being human on a fallen firmament is heart-wrenching, even on the best days. God knows full well and so He comes close to us with compassion. He draws near with a kind of comfort only the Almighty can offer.
A few days after my brother passed away we were in church, of course. Worship gave way to a message in tongues and this scripture was the interpretation. I pictured a down comforter: fluffy and warm agains winter’s chill. We reach for the comforter when the world goes dark and cold, don’t we? We pull it around ourselves and snuggle in, bolstered against the night and held fast until morning.
The same is true of our God. When the night creeps in, when the world goes cold, we pull close to our God and He – in what could only be described as astounding love and mercy – comforts us in all our troubles. Even amidst our self-perpetuated problems, He still offers Himself as a shield from the ugliest this life has to offer. His compassion is extended despite our contribution to the compounding sorrow we are experiencing. Then He sends us out to comfort others; newly equipped to extend the solace we’ve found in Him to the hurting world around us.
Apostle Paul is right: praise God! It’s hard to feel it in the first few days of deepest grief, but as the wave troughs lengthen and the crests dispel, my gratitude grows. Even in the darkest hours, we are never alone. The Comforter is always within reach. He has availed Himself in our sorrow. What sweet relief we find in His accessibility!
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4 NIV)
Lord, today our awareness of this particular piece of Your grace toward us is renewed. You are an incredible comfort in our most treacherous times. You are near and You are faithful. May we reach for You and find all that we are lacking. Thank You for Your proximity and promises. We are glad again to belong to You. Amen.
My daughter shared a playlist a few months ago and this song has become a special comfort in this season. <3