Dear ones in Christ Jesus, you are comforted.
When I use the root word comfort today, I am not talking about the idea of being comfortable in a wealth, pampering, or emotionally non-confrontational sense. I am talking about the sense of being comforted by someone who cares about and for us. Sometimes being comforted means another removes a source of threat, fear, or pain. But even if they don’t or can’t remove that source (temporarily or for the long-term), their presence, touch, or other provision of nearing care-full-ness calms us, strengthens us, and nurtures us.
From the time we enter the world, we are not only in need of food, clothing, and shelter; we are additionally in need of comforting by others. If a baby is given food and clothes but they are otherwise ignored, left untouched, and placed apart from people for the remainder of each day and night, they will languish. Even if they do survive and grow, their development will be forever negatively impacted.
The funny thing is, even though we understand that a baby needs to be comforted and our aging relatives also need the same as they weaken and approach death, people of every age need to be comforted. As an adult behaving in a mature and responsible fashion, I should earn money to buy my own clothing (or make it) and get up to wash and clothe myself each day, and I should seek shelter to take care of myself, my body. That should not be the responsibility of everyone else while I am of sound body and mind. But my need to be comforted when challenges arise and scary moments hit: that never goes away. No matter if we are male or female, or the family mentality under which we were raised, we all need to be comforted.
The Bible is replete with words on this topic. From the human side, we see examples such as Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 24:67, David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 12:18-25, and numerous mentions of individuals who comforted and encouraged the apostle Paul throughout his years of travel, ministry, and imprisonment.
But then….there is our dear and mighty God. Multiple times in the Old Testament, He tells us of how He has comforted or He will comfort. The passage I read aloud to my husband Paul (Isaiah 40:1-11) during our wedding ceremony starts with the words, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her heart service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” And the end of the passage continues, “See, the sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”
God is a comforting God. He does not mean to make us comfortable. But He does mean to comfort. And this difference is essential to understand and remember. Because sometimes the choices of other people will lead to our pain, frustration, anger, or sorrow — and often the things that God allows for his sovereign purposes may leave us scratching our head in perplexed ambiguity, decrying the limitations of the human mind and the human heart.
BUT that great and all-knowing God says, “Trust Me.” AND that great and all-powerful God says, “I am holding you close to My heart.”
And Jesus promised in John 14 that all of His followers will be given the continuous comfort of the Holy Spirit. No matter what waters swirl around us in this life, we will never be alone. And we will be strengthened to carry on — and to comfort others.
Be reminded of this precious gift today.
Dear brothers and sisters, be who you are. Be comforted.