God’s Comfort, God’s Terms
The Holy Spirit, our Great Comforter, wants us to receive His comfort. We have to learn to receive His comfort (Acts 9:31, LB). It is a process. And it is connected to our learning to live by revering the Lord. When we respect the Lord deeply, we will display a faith that leads to obedience (Romans 1:5). Having a clear conscience and being directed by Him, we experience His comfort. Yet, we have to learn to walk in reverence; we have to learn to walk in faithfulness.
The paradox is that our reverence for Him must be greater than our desire for comfort or we cannot receive His comfort. In seeking comfort on our own terms, we can forfeit it. After all, His comfort comes when we let Him help us to brave hard times. If we let Him, He will strengthen and comfort us in our hardships. If we seek to avoid difficulties, we also end up rejecting the opportunity to brave them together with Him and, thus, embrace His comfort. After all, as A. T. Robertson has pointed out, the English word, ‘comfort,’ in the Latin means ‘to brave together.’
His comfort enables us to truly comfort others. It leads to maturing, ministry, expansion, peace, and the ability to comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Suffering further motivates us to seek God’s comfort. When we revere Him, we trust Him enough to suffer for Him (Philippians 1:29). Then, we can receive His comfort and experience His growth.
Let us not refuse His comfort. It is a gift. It is for our good and the good of others.
Comforting others is costly but worth it.