2 Corinthians 1:3-4; Revelation 21:3-4

Jenn McGarvey Blackston

jennifer.mcgarvey@mailbox.ciu.edu

MIN 5310

2-3-11

"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 have received from God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:3-4)

I love both of these passages of Scripture; they are hope-filled and bring great encouragement to the heart that is willing to taste and see that the Lord is good! We have an unique opportunity as believers to offer hope to a hurting world and point them to the True Healer; our Prince of Peace! Pain is hard and often we don't understand why we are going through difficulties, but we don't have to grieve like the world does. We have hope because our hope is found in the person of Jesus Christ! Our Father in heaven is merciful and compassionate and he can comfort us in a way that no one else can. When we go through hard times and allow ourselves to be comforted by our gracious Lord, we can then offer that same comfort to others in their time of need. We can come alongside and offer hope. We can provide safe places for people to grieve and ask the hard questions. If they know Christ, we can encourage them to press on and press into Jesus and allow him to carry their burdens. Adversity and pain serves to draw us closer to Christ and it also softens our heart and allows us to show compassion to other people. We need to take heed to not offer quick solutions to pain and hardship. It is not helpful and oftentimes, serves to push people away as opposed to drawing them in. One of the best things we can do for people when they are hurting is to just be with them; we need to listen more than we talk! For those who don't know Christ, we can share the good news of Jesus Christ and pray that they too would taste and see the Lord is good. We need to listen and hear the stories of hurting people instead of being so quick to judge. John, in Revelation, has some awesome news to share with believers in Christ- one sweet day, there will be no more tears, pain, or death. He will make all things new! Jesus is the only One who can speak to the deepest and darkest places of our souls. He promises to never leave us or forsake us! As we receive his comfort, we can then share it with others and offer them hope.