Lance VanTine
May 20, 20218 min
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV
God’s comfort is freely given to us as born again believers. We need only take time to be still and know that He is God. When trying times and affliction come, we have a choice. We can either set our minds on God above or on the things below. We can either run to Christ or run frantically to-and-fro. We can either put our complete trust in God or we can focus on the externals that are occurring. It is in our choice where we will either recognize the comfort of God or dismiss it.
When we know God, we have God. When we have God, we may be comforted by God.
God is High and Lifted Up. He is Above all and intimately involved in all. He desires for all to know Him, and He goes before us in our affliction. When we know God, we have God. When we have God, we may be comforted by God. This comfort is a peace that transcends all understanding. It gives us Holy Ghost stamina and power to endure and persevere. It helps us to fan the flame of faith so that we are not devoured by externals, but rather overcome them. This is all accomplished through God and His willingness to comfort us during our difficult times.
“Let Your steadfast love comfort me according to Your promise to Your servant” (Psalm 119:76 ESV). God cannot undo that which He has promised and spoken. God promises to comfort those of us who are willing to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. He stretches out His loving arms to all, in hopes that all would run to Him as their Refuge and Safety. For God’s comfort is found in God’s love.
We are vessels created by God, for God. In living for Him, we learn to love others and share the comforts of God with them.
When we experience God’s love, we can extend His love to others. In so doing, others will be comforted by God’s love through us. They will be drawn to Him as we become obedient vessels by which the Holy Spirit flows through. For the world is seeking for an answer. They desire comfort, but know not where to turn. We can be the hands and feet of Jesus. We can love others, comfort them, encourage them, and pray for them. We can be worked in and through by God and extend His comfort to all that we meet. For we are vessels created by God, for God. In living for Him, we learn to love others and share the comforts of God with them.
When pain occurs in this world; when we miss out on opportunities; when friends betray us and no longer want anything to do with us; when we are misunderstood and falsely accused on all sides; when we lose a loved one and we feel alone, ashamed, guilty, and betrayed, we can run to God and cling to His loving-kindness and tender-mercies. We can be comforted by The Comforter Who lives within.
For God has given us all things in Christ. Only a true and pure comfort can come from Christ. All others are temporal and do not last. Though good friends and loved ones are a wonderful source of comfort, there is no comfort from them once in the grave. Our destiny is sealed by what we thought about Christ.
Christ alone brings comfort that is continually with us and can always be accessed in this life. His comfort reminds us of the blessings that are to come. He washes His Truth over us and He brings to remembrance that He Himself went through what we go through.
When Christ walked upon this earth, He endured all that we have gone through. He went through false accusations, persecution, spiritual torment, torture from His own creation, and the like. His life was much more difficult than ours, and yet, He was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Christ Jesus continually went to the Father to replenish His strength and His peace through praise and prayer. “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His Own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise”” (John 5:19 ESV).
God’s comfort reminds us of what Christ went through and where He is taking us. We are not living for this life, but for the one to come.
God’s comfort, therefore, reminds us of what Christ went through and where He is taking us. We are not living for this life, but for the one to come. “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ESV).
We must never forget that “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18 ESV). Christ tells us to “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light”” (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV).
“We should not, like Peter, have a presumptuous faith that we shall never fall, but rather be like Paul, trusting Christ daily for the power to persevere.” William Lane Craig
Christ carried the weight of our sin. We no longer need to walk under the guilt and shame of our sin when we have repented and believed. We need to walk in the Truth and power of what God has done. Not using His grace as lasciviousness, but walking in the awe and wonder of how God could love us so much to send His Son to die on the Cross for our sins. As William Lane Craig has said, “We should not, like Peter, have a presumptuous faith that we shall never fall, but rather be like Paul, trusting Christ daily for the power to persevere.”
As our foundation in God is firm and His peace falls upon us, the world shall see Christ in us. They shall see that we are men and women not ruled by the spirit of this world, but by the Spirit of Almighty God.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4 ESV). God will protect, guide, lead, love, and comfort us. This comfort is one that makes the world wonder how we can be so calm in the midst of tribulations. It makes the world see something different within us. As our foundation in God is firm and His peace falls upon us, the world shall see Christ in us. They shall see that we are men and women not ruled by the spirit of this world, but by the Spirit of Almighty God.
Those who call out to Christ shall be forgiven of their sins. They shall be given a renewed mind, a transformed heart, and a fresh touch from God upon their soul. They no longer will be partakers of the Devil’s ways, but will be saved and sanctified from them.
Pain is bound to come in this life, but ““Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”” (Matthew 5:4 ESV). Those who call out to Christ shall be forgiven of their sins. They shall be given a renewed mind, a transformed heart, and a fresh touch from God upon their soul. They no longer will be partakers of the Devil’s ways, but will be saved and sanctified from them.
All problems, hardships, sufferings, discouragements, and fears of this life are temporal. Everything is fleeting. What was once a problem for us in the past is no longer meditated upon. God has brought us this far and He will continue to do so. For if Christ's road was full of suffering, so shall we have adversity and suffering in our lives.
May we praise God that He has found us worthy to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. May we give thanks to God that “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” and that in Heaven “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away”” (Revelation 21:4 ESV).
This is the comfort of God: to live in eternity with Him all the days of our life.
What a blessing it will be to live with God for eternity. In constant jubilation and fulfillment. Free from all the pains of this life. Never to have a need, but to always have our needs forever and always fulfilled. To live in the fullness of perfection and to never see, hear, or think evil, sin, or selfishness again. To live with Christ and all other born again believers for an eternity; forever growing, loving, serving, praising, and knowing God. This is the comfort of God: to live in eternity with Him all the days of our life.
As David said, “This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your promise gives me life” (Psalm 119:50 ESV). Our promise is Heaven with Christ. All that is to come in Heaven will be secondary to Christ, but extraordinary. “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him”” (1 Corinthians 2:9 ESV).
May the promise of Psalm 91 (ESV) wash over our soul and give us peace and rest in God, our Rock and Comforter:
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My Refuge and My Fortress, My God, in Whom I trust.” For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, Who is My Refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. “Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My name. When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
Heavenly Father, we praise You and Lift Your Name High. You are above all. You see all and know all. You are a personable God Who is intimate and affectionate with Your people. You love us and You desire to care for us, comfort us, and help us. O God, give us the power to lay down sin. Set our minds on things above and not on the things of this life. Strengthen our inner being and gives us the power to persevere and endure, O Holy Spirit. May we finish the race that God has paved. Renew our minds. Forgive us of the times we have fallen anxious, fearful, and discouraged. Uplift our spirits and may we sing songs of praise and marvel at Your glory, Your wonder, Your awesomeness, and Your power! For You alone are God and there is no other. Comfort us now, O God. We place our dependence, trust, and faith in You alone. Deliver us from evil and from ourselves. May we be believers who are strengthened in the inner life. May we not be shaken, but know that You are with us, until the end. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lance VanTine