The purpose of God's comfort

Life is tough. Sometimes, life is downright painful.

But, for the follower of Jesus, there is comfort to be had. As we cry out to Him, we can experience comfort (yes, in the face of trials) that comes from fellowship with Him, knowing that He is fully in control and that He has promised to work out even the bad stuff for our ultimate good (making us more like Him - Romans 8:28-29).

So, is our personal Christian life an end in itself? Do we simply get from God only for our benefit? Hardly.

As God provides us with comfort in the face of trial, one of the many outcomes He desires is that we comfort others. He wants us to share with others how we have found Him to be faithful in our time of trial and then to assure others that He can do the same for them.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (New Living Translation)

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us."

Will you be open to comforting someone today?

So many folks would rather talk about themselves than listen to others. In doing so, they rob themselves of the opportunity to hear others' stories and provide the needed words of comfort. Today, desire to listen, empathize, and as God leads you provide the comforting words that are needed.