2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT)
“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.”
As humans, we are no strangers to loss, pain and suffering. And in those moments, we need comfort because they can be overwhelming. But thank God for the gift of Jesus, our Awesome comforter!
He understands loss (He wept at Lazarus’ death), He understands pain (nailed to the cross), He understands betrayal (betrayed by Judas and denied by Peter). Jesus is also our High Priest who is familiar with our sufferings. He comforts us through Holy Spirit who is with us, allowing us to be agents of comfort for others.
What’s more is that one day all these pains, losses and suffering shall be no more. There shall be no worry or tears when Jesus returns to establish His rule on earth.
Application
Let us make it a lifestyle to lean on Jesus in whatever painful situation that we go through. 1 Peter 5:7 encourages us to cast our cares on Jesus for He cares for us.
Prayer direction
Personal
- Give thanks to the Lord for comforting you during difficult times and for His promise to continue comforting us.
- Commit your personal cares to Jesus and lean on Him for comfort and healing.
Family
Pray for families that are facing difficulty. Commit the areas of pain, suffering, persecution, loss and grief to God and ask Him to come through for them.
Pray that families members will extend compassion to those around them that need comfort.
Church
Ask God to comfort grieving families and persecuted Christians around the world.
Pray that God will empower us though our Cell Families to reach out to those around us who need comfort.
Nations
Commit the losses and pains that we are facing as a nation to the Lord (insecurities, senseless loss of life, struggling economy, families in extreme poverty and hardship etc).