Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 2 Corinthians 1:4
Martin was becoming very discouraged with his university science classes. As a Christian, he rejected many of the theories presented by his professors. As a result, he became a target of ridicule by those professors and by some of the students. As time went on, his level of frustration rose, until he feared he might have to drop those courses and forfeit much of his plans for his education. A knock on the door of his room interrupted his worries about what he should do. When he opened the door, he was greeted by the the friendly face of another Christian a few years older than himself. During their chat, Martin told Bryan of his concerns about his science classes. To his surprise, Bryan described having those same problems at that university a few years earlier. He urged Martin to persevere, saying other Christians had encouraged him and helped him to get through. Martin decided to stick it out, and finished his year with a better science mark than he expected. All because another Christian knew how to apply today’s text.
God loves to comfort His people. In fact, one of the great Names of the Holy Spirit is the Comforter. God knows all about our struggles and trials, and those things that tend to discourage us; remember, the Lord Jesus spent 33 years living among us and encountering those same discouragements. But one of God’s favourite ways to lift up the spirits of His suffering saints is to bring along another saint who has already gone through that particular trial. What a wonderful comfort it is to receive a hug or a handshake from a brother or sister in the Lord who knows exactly how you feel and what struggles you are having!
A wise Christian once gave me an excellent piece of advice when I was having some struggles. I was worried and feeling sorry for myself because of what I had to go through. The wise Christian advised me to find somebody who was having a harder time than myself, and to help that person. I decided to give it a try – it’s always easy to find somebody worse off than ourselves – and to my amazement, my own problems became insignificant as I became involved in cheering up somebody else. One of the best exercises for making us stronger Christians is to lift up other Christians who need help. It’s a divine principle that always works.
Has God comforted you in a trial? Don’t be afraid to pass that comfort on to somebody else, because God never intended for you to keep all that comfort to yourself. -Jim MacIntosh