Ponder this verse with me for a moment. (I will use share both the Message version and NIV as they both paint an awesome thought.) “All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.” I Corinthians 1:3-5 (Message Translation)
3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ”.” (NIV)
The obvious theme here is comfort. God comforts us to we can comfort others. He is the God of all comfort. As a widow I need comfort. I need compassion. I need understanding. Often I am let down because people are busy with their lives and don’t have (or take) the time to check on me. I get that. Times like tonight though, when the house seems extra quiet I wish the phone would ring. I wish there was a caring person on the other end who wants to check on me or comfort me. Most of my evening calls are about my car warranty or student loans. LOL.
Tonight this verse from 1 Corinthians popped into my head. As I read it I remembered the many times God has comforted me. Sometimes it has been through Him using others to call or encourage me. But there have been many other times a peace washes over me and I just know it is the comfort of the Lord.
I need to stop expecting people to call to comfort me. In fact I should be on the phone calling others who need comfort. That is the premise of this verse. God comforts us so we can comfort others. I went with a friend last weekend who had lost his uncle. I went to visitation, then the funeral and reception the next day. I did not speak many words, but I wanted to be there for support to my friend. I now know I was doing what this verse tells us to do. Comfort others.
I know God promises that all things work together for good to those who love the God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28). I am trying to find good out of my deep sorrow and loss. If I minister to others my husband’s death was not in vain. Im sure he is in heaven cheering me on and wanting me to help others- that is what he did ALL THE TIME. It is what we all are called to do. Get your mind off yourself and your situation and minister to someone else who is going through a similar situation. Be a part of something much bigger than you- be a part of God’s plan. Hugs to all!
I agree with your assessment of those scriptures. Thank you for sharing and be encouraged for those who read your blog but don’t feel comfortable leaving a message – or they might say “she said it all!”