“Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 2:3
God Is Your Comforter
Recently, my son woke me up in the middle of the night, and I could not fall back asleep. As I lay there, my mind reeling from one thought to the next, hour after hour passing, I felt the Lord say to me: I have not created you to be comfortable in this world, for this is only temporary. True comfort will come only in the heavenly realms with me, in my Kingdom!
This thought is such a departure from the mentality I was raised with: if you follow the rules, work hard, and go to school, then you will be successful and therefore build a bubble of comfort around your life. I’ve found that mentality just does not pan out, unless you gauge comfort differently than I do!
See, do we look to the world’s view and our financial standing as our security and comfort, or do we turn to God as our comforter?
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)
Our worth is not dependent on our earthly successes or trials, for that matter. When we face trials in our lives, the natural human response is to freak out and ask, “Why is this happening and what did I do wrong?” The Lord did not promise us perfect lives here on earth, and no amount of hard work or goodness will guarantee your success here. Jesus said in Mark 8:34-35, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
When we face trials and suffering in this life, and we will, we should lean on God even more and allow Him to carry us through, for “…we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4). It is a testing of our faith when we rely on God and glorify Him through our troubles (James 1:12). This will not be easy, but real growth happens here, in these hard times.
If you find yourself constantly being bombarded with one obstacle after the next, stand firm and reach for God! He seeks us out and desires our whole hearts, rather than us turning to Him secondarily after we decide, in our own strength, what is right or just. It’s time we die to self and live for Him!
The Psalmist says that our lives on this earth are fleeting, just a mere handbreadth (Psalm 39:4a-5a). It is important that we make use of our short time here and find the Lord’s calling for us (2 Peter 1:10-11). Once we figure that out, and follow His Spirit’s guidance, we attain true success in our Father’s eyes. How pleasing is it to have your Father smile down on you saying, “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21)!
Blessings and Love,
Kristall
Go Deeper:
- Has there been a time in your life when you have turned away from God because of hard times? Have you sought His counsel only after trying to operate on your own strength? Pray and ask the Lord to help you seek Him first and rely on Him for strength and perseverance through trials.
- Do you know what God is calling you to do for Him? If not, pray and ask Him to send His Spirit to guide you and open doors to do His kingdom work.
What’s Next?
This week, be intentional about turning to God first when faced with adversity or suffering. Seek Him out by praying first before making any decisions.
If you find yourself relying on your own strength, just stop and pray for His will to be done and ask for clarity in that situation.
Lastly, listen to “Good Good Father” by Chris Tomlin. https://youtu.be/iBmwwwiHrOk Thank the Lord for how He has worked in your life and how He has guided you.
I am blessed to be a stay-at-home mom with a working background in graphic design. I am from northern Virginia, and our family moved out to Colorado in late 2013 to be close to family. I graduated from the University of Arizona in 2005 with a BFA degree in Visual Communications and my passion is for design. The Lord has called me to create designs for Him, and therefore, I am so grateful to be a part of the Help Club for Mom's ministry, where I can serve the Lord and connect with fellow moms all at the same time! My favorite verses are from Psalm 139:13-16.
- Mom to Mom with Kristall - October 28, 2023
- Replacing Lies with Truth - October 20, 2023
- Finding Faith in the Pit - October 1, 2023