The God of All Comfort
"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 have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4
Several years ago as I was going through a really tough time in my life, the words of the above verses literally jumped off the pages as I read them. I am sure I had read them before, but never, did these words speak to me like they did that day I read them. God knows exactly what we need at just the right time. He allows circumstances to come into our lives for a very specific purpose. God is sovereign or in other words, He is in complete control. In the book of Daniel we read, "seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes. (verse 4:25) What does the word sovereign mean? It means one who exercises supreme power or authority; having supreme rank or authority (online dictionary). God is the source of all power, authority, and everything that exists. "God is above all things and before all things. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is immortal, and He is present everywhere (Revelation 21:6) He is the one who created all things and holds all things together (Colossians 1:16). The sovereignty of God is important for us to keep at the forefront of our minds, especially as we go through dark times in our lives. Nothing will come into our lives that our loving Father does not allow. Things don't just happen by chance or coincidence, if that were the case, then God would not be sovereign. Now, not everything that comes into our lives is good, but God promises that "in all things, He works for the good of those who love Him, who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)."
As I look back on my life, I thank God for the difficult times He has allowed me to go through because through those times, I learned that I have a Father who will never leave me or forsake me. Going through struggles made me realize my total dependence on God. My faith was tried and tested and in turn, became stronger. I experienced the peace of God which passes all understanding. Now, were these times easy? They certainly were not! There were times I cried myself to sleep. At times, my heart ached so bad, I felt like I was going to die. But one thing remained through it all, and that was God's sweet presence and love. I knew that in spite of my difficulties, my God was there-guiding me and growing me in Him in ways that I would not have ever learned otherwise. You see friend, in the difficult times, as we keep our eyes on Him, God can and will reveal Himself more and more to us, build our faith and strengthen our character. The situation you are in is only temporary. God has already given you the victory in Christ, and through Him, has given you everything you need to make it through. Jesus tells us in Mark 4:35, "Let us go over to the other side." He will not leave us in our struggles, He will take us to the other side as He said.
In our life, we will at times, be on the mountaintop. Other times, we will be in the valley. When you are in the valley, ask God what He is trying to teach you or reveal to you. His purpose will always be for your good and His glory. After you have made it through your trial, God can and will use you to minister to others in similar situations and you can give them the same comfort that Christ Himself gave you. Let your life be a testimony to the awesome God we serve. He still has you here on earth for a reason....to point others to Christ-our hope and our glory!
"And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:10-11
Several years ago as I was going through a really tough time in my life, the words of the above verses literally jumped off the pages as I read them. I am sure I had read them before, but never, did these words speak to me like they did that day I read them. God knows exactly what we need at just the right time. He allows circumstances to come into our lives for a very specific purpose. God is sovereign or in other words, He is in complete control. In the book of Daniel we read, "seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes. (verse 4:25) What does the word sovereign mean? It means one who exercises supreme power or authority; having supreme rank or authority (online dictionary). God is the source of all power, authority, and everything that exists. "God is above all things and before all things. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is immortal, and He is present everywhere (Revelation 21:6) He is the one who created all things and holds all things together (Colossians 1:16). The sovereignty of God is important for us to keep at the forefront of our minds, especially as we go through dark times in our lives. Nothing will come into our lives that our loving Father does not allow. Things don't just happen by chance or coincidence, if that were the case, then God would not be sovereign. Now, not everything that comes into our lives is good, but God promises that "in all things, He works for the good of those who love Him, who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)."
As I look back on my life, I thank God for the difficult times He has allowed me to go through because through those times, I learned that I have a Father who will never leave me or forsake me. Going through struggles made me realize my total dependence on God. My faith was tried and tested and in turn, became stronger. I experienced the peace of God which passes all understanding. Now, were these times easy? They certainly were not! There were times I cried myself to sleep. At times, my heart ached so bad, I felt like I was going to die. But one thing remained through it all, and that was God's sweet presence and love. I knew that in spite of my difficulties, my God was there-guiding me and growing me in Him in ways that I would not have ever learned otherwise. You see friend, in the difficult times, as we keep our eyes on Him, God can and will reveal Himself more and more to us, build our faith and strengthen our character. The situation you are in is only temporary. God has already given you the victory in Christ, and through Him, has given you everything you need to make it through. Jesus tells us in Mark 4:35, "Let us go over to the other side." He will not leave us in our struggles, He will take us to the other side as He said.
In our life, we will at times, be on the mountaintop. Other times, we will be in the valley. When you are in the valley, ask God what He is trying to teach you or reveal to you. His purpose will always be for your good and His glory. After you have made it through your trial, God can and will use you to minister to others in similar situations and you can give them the same comfort that Christ Himself gave you. Let your life be a testimony to the awesome God we serve. He still has you here on earth for a reason....to point others to Christ-our hope and our glory!
"And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:10-11
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ReplyDeleteThank you for reminders of Gods promises to us, and that He will not leave us in our times of trials. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas season. Miss seeing you @ CG!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Glad you were encouraged.... that is always my prayer as I write these blogs! Be blessed my friend!
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