Comfort In The Trial
“…who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4 NKJV
In the verse above, Paul talks about the comfort that we have in Jesus, even in the midst of whatever situations we may presently be in. He comforts us so that we might experience His comfort but also so that we might, through that experience, learn to be a comfort to others and to comfort them in the truth of Jesus. Our experience points them to Jesus.
This verse and the verses that follow show us that as followers of Jesus we are walking in faith in this life, walking in faith to the end of the matter which is the ultimate victory in Jesus. However, there are struggles and trials along the way. There are tribulations that we all face in this life but we are comforted by the Lord in the midst of those troubles so that can keep moving onward to the victory that is at the end of the matter you are experiencing.
In each of our lives, we will face situations or circumstances that will appear hopeless and look contrary to the promises of His Word. We have all been there, right? During those moments be assured that as we look to Him He will comfort us until we walk into that victory at the end of your matter. As you are comforted, you will learn to look for that comfort in future tribulations and you will also have learned how to comfort others as they go through their trials of life.
However, the question that always arises is this, “Why do we have even go through the trials to begin with?” We find the answer in the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. Realize that Daniel did have to go through the lion’s den experience. God safeguarded him through the night supernaturally, but Daniel went through it and I am sure that night in the den was an interesting trial. The powerful result of the God’s supernatural protection of Daniel was the impact it had on others. Because the hand of God was so evident in the outcome, the King made a decree that everyone in his kingdom had to honor and revere the God of Daniel. An entire kingdom was impacted because Daniel went through the experience.
I am sure God comforted Daniel through that night in the lion’s den but the important thing to notice is that Daniel was not spared the experience. God delivered and He was glorified but Daniel went through the experience. Don’t despise the trials in your life, the lion’s den experiences. Go through them with His comfort and deliverance and then God is glorified and lives are changed. Regardless of what you face in life right now, look to Him for His comfort, move forward to the end of the matter. You will be delivered, God glorified, and you will be able to encourage and comfort others.
J Todd Hostetler