It is very comforting to know that God is not the author of tragedies in our lives, nor is He allowing them. He is a loving Father who wants the best for us. He is not insensitively standing by and allowing us to suffer, but rather He is seeking to help us through the difficult times.

 

 

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. Instead, we have one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet he never sinned.” Hebrews 4:15 ISV

 

Jesus has compassion for you; He sympathizes with you. He loves you and doesn’t want to see you suffer. He is not some cold-hearted, distant God who expects you to act right, look right and do right – He wants you to be well in your heart, and out of that place of being well He desires that you experience wholeness in every area of your life (3 John 2). He has also sent His Holy Spirit (called “the Comforter”) to comfort us when we go through trials and challenges which affect our hearts.

 

 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Father who is full of mercy, the God of all comfort. He comforts us every time we have trouble so that when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ERV

 

 

He is “the God of all comfort” who wants to strengthen you through His comfort so that you will stand strong, press on and be enabled to comfort and strengthen others with the comfort that you have received from the Lord.

 

In times of discouragement and grief, we need to invite and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to our hearts. The Holy Spirit desires to minister to us, but it doesn’t happen automatically – we need to invite it and receive it. We invite that ministry through prayer. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to minister to you. Pray in the Spirit and allow Him to flow from within you. In all likelihood, the Holy Spirit will probably remind you of and lead you to Scripture. This is how He brings you comfort: through God’s Word (Psalm 23:3; Psalm 119:50; John 14:26). You will have to accept the truth that He reveals to you in order to receive the comfort and experience freedom from the pain and heartache. Comfort doesn’t happen by accident – you have to receive it. The Word is powerful (Hebrews 4:12) and if we accept it and choose to believe it, it will bring us comfort, strength and victory.