Once again we have to return to some necessary restrictions! Sad, as we were all hoping to slowly come back to normal life. Everyday with Ania we pray to the Lord, expressing out gratefulness that He protects us from getting Corona-Virus and other problems, asking Him for His care. For under His wings we are safe.
How much I would like to comfort you, strengthen and refresh. Just now, one fragment from Scripture came to my mind, this passage always fascinates me. I like Apostel Paul’s rhetoric. He always tries to stress some of God’s blessings and point to our duties in a very suggestive way. The passage I think about comes from the first chapter of the 2 Corinthians. The Apostle writes:
“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.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV)
Isn’t it beautiful? Surely you have noticed that this one sentence contains two incredible thoughts.
Firstly, the Apostle is impressed by God’s acting and blesses Him, whom he calls “God of all comfort.” But what is such comfort if not the refreshment in difficult times, support when we are hopeless and depressed? I think how much my God I believe in and love is the comfort for me. For He is! In Him I found the shelter in each difficult moment. I wish for you the same with all my heart.
Secondly, the Lord God I know, always with each decision makes at least two things: He not only comforts us but also encourages us to do the same. HE wants us to comfort others with the same comfort we were comforted. But here quite often appears our problem. We are comforted by God, but are unable to comfort others. Just to make it easier let’s think what is the comfort we receive from God.
His comfort is in the guarantee of His company in our lives.
It is also in the blessings He sends to us daily. In our health, in His care, in our safety, in peace of mind we can experience and finally also in the forgiveness of our sins we receive from God. We can also find God’s comfort in experiencing our salvation here and now, assurance of His help and endless care for us. So as we have all these blessings, how not to emanate with joy, even at times we feel that there is nothing what makes us happy.
Let us today make the decision: we shall comfort each other with the comfort we received from God. His comfort is also in the promise that our Lord soon will come to take us home. Hallelujah! This is the source of our joy and solace. So let us comfort each other this week. It will only be an extension of His comfort meant for us.
With sincere comfort from the Lord to you —
Pastor Roman
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