Day 8:
Man is born for trouble (Job 5:7). The concept of suffering in our lifetime is simply a reality. None of us can escape the staining of hardship in our walk throughout this sin-soaked world. For Christians, affliction can even be compounded because we stand against the moral decay of society (II Tim. 3:12). God however, has a tremendous way of glorifying Himself in our crisis. Ways that elevate His character and showcase His extraordinary attributes.
In our last letter, we hatched a question. How does God literally comfort us when we suffer hardships? How is His name heightened in His loving care for us? To begin answering this question, we looked at how God changes our temporal perspective on anguish so we shift our focus to an eternal perspective.
Another way He directly comforts us is found in II Corinthians 7:5-6. Here we read, “For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus.”
When our God sees us down, He often dispatches a godly individual our way to encourage and uplift us. Just like the coming of Titus provided Paul with the lifeline of encouragement he needed, our LORD knows exactly who to send to us for upholding! Please ponder this thought for a moment. We are surrounded by people who know us. Who care about us. Who love us. And our personal God simply calls on one of these agents of His to enter our pathway for a moment in time to provide a soft and strong shoulder to lean on. Such joy!
When we hurt, keep a watchful eye out for individuals who send us a timely text of encouragement. Who take the time to ask us deeper questions on a Sunday morning than just, “How are you?” Who stop by unannounced to bring us a coffee. Or who simply see the pain behind our eyes at work and pull us aside for an explanation. These acts of pursuit from others are from the Father! He is actively comforting us through these tangible people! Never brush off these loving gestures by others because God is glorified through these loving gestures.
As a footnote to this principle, remember the words from our verse in II Corinthians 1:3-4 which says, “…God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” You or I may be the “Titus” God sends!
We walk through rough valleys at times. God is there to comfort us. But we must make ourselves available to comfort others with the same care God has given us. This just completes the circle. And through this circle of solace, the Father’s name is exalted. What a gift to be used by Him to share the goodness of God to another?
Another avenue of comfort provided to us where our LORD is greatly praised is through prayer. Enormous amounts of comfort can be ours in the presence of our loving Father. Hurting hearts have learned this. Why? Because prayer takes us directly into His presence. Prayer catapults us from earth to heaven in an instant. Those worries and anxieties in our life have a very difficult time taking center stage in our mind when we are in deep and repetitive conversations with the creator of the universe! Listen to the words of Philippians 4:6-7:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
We can get anxious and stressed about circumstances in our life. The antidote is prayer. Not just a casual prayer but where we bring all our requests to our comforting Father. What is the result? A peace promised to us that simply cannot be comprehended! O Christian why do we neglect prayer? Look at the opportunities we miss. We miss being in God’s presence. We miss unloading our hurts to the One who understands our situation and life better than anyone. We miss out on incomprehensible peace. And we miss another opportunity to glorify Him. Let us not miss these times of sweet interaction with our God!
So much can be learned about prayer from David in the Psalms. He was constantly in the LORD’s presence during his darkest moments. Psalm 140 begins with prayer. Psalm 141 begins with prayer. Psalm 142 begins with prayer. Psalm 143 begins with prayer! Rescue me/I call upon You/I cry to the LORD/Hear my prayer. It is clear from David’s writings and others that prayer is indeed an action we can pursue to glorify God as we endure grief, depression, pain, and hurt. Such a simple exercise with profound implications.
“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God (Psalm 43:5).”
Children of Light 
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