When we experience suffering for any reason, the apostle Paul speaks of the ultimate comfort that can only come from the divine God. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, he proclaimed, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble [tribulation], with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” When we experience loss, sorrow and grief, God is the God of all comfort.
Second Thessalonians 2:16-17 reads, “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish [strengthen] you in every good word and work.” W.E. Vine stated verse 16 combines encouragement with alleviation of grief. God fills us with His peace, joy and comfort as He heals our broken hearts. Psalm 147:3 tells us, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” We must trust God to keep us from falling into total despair.
One good preacher wrote, “Friends seek to console—words, hugs, express sympathies; sometimes just a meeting of loving eyes tell the story best—‘I love you and I care for you’—a thousand and one attempts at sharing a burden. Yet, often they all fall so far short. The struggle remains. Faith in God—trust in Him is found to be the most valuable asset of all. It is precious—indescribable! The blessing of blessings is found when memory reminds that this most special loved one, through the grace of God, is safe in the arms of Jesus! Safe—SAFE!!!”
For this writer the word “comfort” is best defined: to soothe, to console, to encourage. It means all of these expressions to comfort are done with sensitivity, gentleness and a great tenderness. This is so beautifully expressed at the end of Job’s unequaled suffering in Job 42:11. “Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.”
Confusion, doubt and worry are expelled as consolation and comfort emerges in Psalm 94:19, which reads, “In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.” The ESV states it this way: “When the cares of my heart are many, Your consolations cheer my soul.” Psalm 119:76 asserts, “Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Your word to Your servant.” Mercy has been defined as compassion in action. Kindness is the willingness to become involved in the needs of another. Our God reigns supreme in both!
In his book, Everyday Comfort—Readings for the First Month of Grief, Randy Becton wrote, “We must nudge each other closer to the source of comfort, the one we can trust: God our loving Father. He will direct. Ask him and expect him to do so” (77).
The source of comfort is divinely expressed in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 in the first paragraph of this article. The one we can trust: the Bible overflows with passages which declare that promise. “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven. He is a shield to all who trust in Him” (2 Samuel 22:31). God our loving Father is the theme that threads through all of Scripture. “Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning; for in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You” (Psalm 143:8). He will direct. Ask him and expect Him to do so. “Direct my steps by Your word and let no iniquity have dominion over me” (Psalm 119:133).
As we reflect upon God’s unfailing truths, His consolations and comforts are soothing to the mind. We look to God’s promises that are always proven and positive to us, and our minds become settled. This can only be experienced by those who have faith and trust in Him, no matter how painful the experiences of life become. We must understand that God is forever in control, and we must believe that there is plan and purpose behind all that He allows.
The Adult Bible Quarterly of the Minor Prophets II – Spring 1995 contains a lesson from the Book of Habakkuk. The author states five fundamental lessons that the Book teaches about placing absolute confidence in God. One of those lessons is: “At times God’s actions cause our hearts to pound, our lips to quiver, and our bones to melt. Yet, as an evil world and society reap the consequences of their ungodliness, causing us grief and loss, the God of our salvation remains our firm hope and constant joy.” Amen to that!
