Comfort: Part 2

Okay, so we as humans require comfort for many reasons, discussed in Part 1. But where should we turn? Why should I pray to God for comfort?

The apostle Paul explains his view in his second letter to the Corinthian church, as he describes his own need for comfort. He was being persecuted, attacked, threatened, and feared even death.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For, just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort." ~2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Paul refers to God as "the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort." Wow! This is pretty bold. If indeed God is the ultimate in offering compassion and the Lord over all comfort, I want to ask him for these things. I want them for myself. I want them for those that I love. I want to receive this comfort so that I can share it with others, just as Paul describes his own experience.

If you are seeking this comfort as well, for yourself or others, here are a few more promises from God to encourage you:

"Even though I walk
 through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
 your rod and your staff,
they comfort me." ~Psalm 23:4

"My comfort in my suffering is this:
 Your promise preserves my life." ~Psalm 119:50

"Shout for joy, you heavens;
 rejoice, you earth;
 burst into song, you mountains! 
For the Lord comforts his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted ones." ~Isaiah 49:13

"The Lord will surely comfort Zion
 and will look with compassion on all her ruins;
 he will make her deserts like Eden,
 her wastelands like the garden of the Lord.
 Joy and gladness will be found in her,
 thanksgiving and the sound of singing." ~Isaiah 51: 3 

Comfort: Part 1

Part 1: Comfort... Do we need it?

I have realized recently that I pray often for comfort, for myself and for friends and loved ones. When I pray in this way, it's not physical comfort to which I am referring, like a hot shower or a cozy bed, but spiritual comfort. True comfort. As I realized how much I have been using this word, pleading for this reality, I took some time to stop and think about what it is that I am seeking and why, what comfort really means, and how we can obtain comfort.

The Bible offers some pretty solid answers about comfort and supports the fact that we do need it. Because this is a pretty broad topic with a lot to explore, I am going to spend several weeks addressing what I've found. In this first section, below is a brief overview of why people need comfort. I can relate to several of these reasons. Can you?

We are in physical pain:

"When I think my bed will comfort me
 and my couch will ease my complaint, even then you frighten me with dreams
 and terrify me with visions, so that I prefer strangling and death,
 rather than this body of mine." ~Job 7:13-15

We need help:

"I cried out to God for help;
 I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
 at night I stretched out untiring hands,
 and I would not be comforted. I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
 I meditated, and my spirit grew faint." ~Psalm 77:1-3

"My eyes fail, looking for your promise;
I say, 'When will you comfort me?' " Psalm 119:82

We are oppressed:

"Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:

I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
 power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter." ~Ecclesiastes 4:1

We have deep heart wounds:

"What can I say for you?
 With what can I compare you,
 Daughter Jerusalem?
 To what can I liken you,
 that I may comfort you,
 Virgin Daughter Zion?
 Your wound is as deep as the sea.
 Who can heal you?" ~Lamentations 2:13

We mourn for our losses:

"Blessed are those who mourn,
 for they will be comforted." ~Matthew 5:4

Last, but not least… we cannot be comforted by this world:

"The idols speak deceitfully,
 diviners see visions that lie;
 they tell dreams that are false,
 they give comfort in vain.
 Therefore the people wander like sheep, 
oppressed for lack of a shepherd." ~ Zechariah 10:2