"Comforsations" June 30, 2008

The Comfort of Jesus – Part One

“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 received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Since this is my first “Comforsations” message, it seems appropriate to begin with this verse. After all, this is the verse this website was “founded” on and reflects the entire mission of this website ministry – to comfort others with the message of hope that God is faithful to work all things for good no matter what our circumstances; and that we can experience true love, healing, and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. It is my hope and my prayer that women going through a trial, whether it be a separation, divorce, a troubled marriage, the death of a loved one, an illness, or anything else causing pain or suffering, that they would experience the love and comfort of Jesus. There is absolutely nothing or no one else on this earth that is able to give us peace, healing, hope, and even joy if we allow Him to do so.
The Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary says of these verses, “It is our Saviour who says, Let not your heart be troubled. All comforts come from God, and our sweetest comforts are in Him. He speaks peace to souls by granting the free remission of sins; and he comforts them by the enlivening influences of the Holy Spirit, and by the rich mercies of his grace. He is able to bind up the broken-hearted, to heal the most painful wounds, and also to give hope and joy under the heaviest sorrows.”1 First, do you know God as your Abba, Father? No matter what kind of relationship you have had with your earthly father, there is a Heavenly Father who loves you more than anything. We can take all of our hurts to Him and as the “Father of compassion and the God of all comfort”, he will lovingly calm our fears, speak consoling words through His Word – the Bible, and give us His healing touch in the midst of our deepest heartaches.
Second, we can also experience peace in all circumstances through Jesus. If we know Him as our personal Savior, He has paid the price for our sins, and we have the assurance of being with Him in eternity. There is no greater peace than that! Jesus himself speaks also of the peace we can know through the Holy Spirit in John 14:26-27. “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Ask Jesus to fill you with His Holy
Spirit and guide you in your circumstances. Look to Him for comfort, peace and security rather than things in the world.
Next, surrender your broken heart to the God of all comfort, the only One who can put it back together. Imagine God wrapping your wounded heart with a large heavenly band-aid, giving you a loving hug and a gentle smile, saying, “My child, I will make it all better.” It may take some time, but if we allow God to heal it, He will do it. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
Finally, have faith in knowing that God will do what He says He will do. His Word is true and He will take care of you. For this we can have hope. If we obey His Word and put our hope in the Lord we can be certain that He will bring joy to our lives. There should be joy alone in knowing Jesus as our Savior; but think how much more joy we will have if we allow Him to comfort us in our troubles.

Key Scriptures:

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” Psalm 94:19 (NIV)

“When I was upset and beside myself, you calmed me down and cheered me up.” Psalm 94:19 (The Message)



Endnotes
1) Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, Bible Explorer 4 Limited Edition CD-ROM, WORDsearch Corp., Austin, TX, www.WORDsearchBible.com


Copyright 2008 by Christy Long. All rights reserved.
Comfort to Comfort Ministries
www.christylong.org