when tragedy strikes
why suffering?
the suffering of fools
temptations, tests, and trials
why does God test man, part one
testing and the education of life
what my cat taught me about testing, and trusting
why does God test man, part two
we are the clay
judging suffering
when we suffer: a warning
help when we hurt
flip the switch
the poetry of drawing near
hearts wounded by suffering
what my thimble taught me
pride: the hidden problem with hardness
portrait of a yielded heart
the poetry of a yielded heart
Comfort
to give strength and hope to; to cheer; to ease the grief or trouble of; to console. – Webster’s
We are comforted in our sufferings when we obtain the strength to endure our afflictions; the hope that our sufferings will one day end; and the easement of our sorrows (not our trials; necessarily). For a man can endure hardship, but not if his spirit is crushed. The scriptures teach us to take comfort in our afflictions, as well as to receive the Lord’s comfort.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psa 23:4
The rod disciplines, and the staff directs in the right way. The rod comforts us because we have assurance that no matter what happens to us in this life, our Heavenly Father will not cease fathering us. The staff comforts us because we have assurance that no matter what happens to us in this life, our Good Shepherd will not cease guiding and directing our paths. Both tools also verify our status, as children of the Heavenly Father; as sheep of the Good Shepherd. We belong in the household of God and are not outsiders who have no hope. It is in this knowledge that we take comfort when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
Taking comfort is something we do and is not something we must wait on the Lord for. How do we take comfort? What about feeling comforted? Stay tuned.
taking comfort: psalm 42
the poetry of taking comfort
comfort, comfort, o my people
comfort as a mother comforts
a rabbit trail
the joy of intimacy
the poetry of intimacy
God’s comforting presence
why don’t I feel God?
christians and suffering
back from the abyss
Leave a Reply