Often in our lives, we need comfort. As a child, we need comfort from our parents when we fall and are hurt. As we get older, our physical pains tend to turn into emotional pain. The loss of friendship, failure to succeed in school, or dealing with an embarrassing moment can turn into emotional pain for a young person. The older we get, the more significant the situation becomes, where comfort is needed. We begin to experience the loss of loved ones by death. We may suffer overwhelming financial strains. Illnesses seem to creep in and take over as we approach midlife. It appears there is no way to avoid the need for comfort. Life just happens, and we are in need.
Paul speaks about the God of comfort in II Corinthians 1:3-4.
II Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
Because he is a personal God, He is always there wherever we go. The Holy Spirit lives within us to guide and comfort us. He comforts in trials. When things seem too hard to bear, He is there. When sickness comes, he is there. Nothing, or no one, was too sick for Jesus to reach out His hand and heal while here on earth. In Mark 1:40, a leper came to Jesus seeking healing. This was a definite violation of Jewish law. Leprosy was feared because it was so contagious. If you were coming close to a leper, he would yell “unclean” to warn you. This never detoured Jesus. He healed and comforted those no one else would have anything to do with.
There have been times when I was in distress, no one was around, and I felt His comfort. One time, I remember crying out to Him for wisdom when I was headed home from my visiting father, who was terminally ill. I felt I should go home at this time for responsibilities at church. It was a five-hour drive, and the further away I got from my parent’s home, the more I began to doubt my decision. There was no audible voice, but His presence was as real as the road before me. In my mind, he was saying, “where is that trust you’ve talked about having, don’t you believe I can handle this.” A peace came over me that I can’t explain, and I knew I was doing the right thing. There is comfort in knowing He loves me, and I can totally trust Him.
Paul gives us one more element to this comfort in verse 4. He gives us another reason for His comfort, which is that we can comfort others. When we have experienced the comfort of the Holy Spirit, we can share that experience with others. While no two experiences are identical, many are similar. We are to comfort others and be the hands and feet of Jesus. Showing love and compassion for others is acting like Jesus. Over and over in scripture, we see His show of compassion. In Mark 5:1, he frees the demoniac from the demons, in Mark 3 he healed the man with the withered hand, and in John 8 he forgives the woman caught in adultery and frees her from her accusers. Jesus showed compassion no matter what the need.
In this passage, Paul does not say that the only reason for God comforting us was so we could, in turn, comfort others, but he does say there is an important purpose for it. Personal experience is a great teacher. When someone suffers, we can sympathize with them and offer to meet their needs. However, when we have suffered in the same manner, we can have empathy. This means I can feel what you feel. If you have suffered in the same way, it gives value to your consolation to others. They will listen more readily to someone who has experienced the same thing they have experienced.
God allows us to go through things in life where we need His touch. He offers that to us through the Holy Spirit. He feels what we feel, but He does not intend for us to harbor up all that mercy and keep it to ourselves. We are to freely extend that comfort and mercy to others.
Look around. Where can you be the hands and feet of Jesus today?
