The pain of this world is real. But the comfort of God is greater. When life feels unbearable, there’s a comfort greater than anything this world can offer. Experience it for yourself
See all the videos in "30 Days to Radically Shift Your Identity in Christ" in this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT6YqbJJJzQjsugD0bEYGgbvMDAMSFJZ_
Zoe’s story:
I never knew I could survive such pain. First, Bobby —the man I thought I’d spend my life with—told me it was over. He broke our engagement and never even told me why. Heartbroken, feeling abandoned, and reeling from the pain of rejection, I sobbed myself to sleep night after night. I kept asking, “What did I do wrong?”
Then, a few months later, my parents told me they were getting a divorce. The very foundation under me cracked open. I felt sad, insecure, and confused. Wasn’t anything in life reliable? Was it my fault somehow? I had never felt so alone.
And just when I thought I couldn’t bear any more pain, Nana, my grandmother, my friend and my spiritual mentor passed away. I didn’t think I would ever stop crying.
Everyone close to me was leaving, pulling away, even dying. Why was everyone leaving me? What was wrong with me?
That night, when the dark thoughts came, I heard the still, small voice inside me: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
I smiled as I thought about Nana. She had taught me that verse, Joshua 1:9, when I was a kid and I was afraid of the dark. She told me God would always be there for me. And he was. I poured out my heart to God, and felt his love wash over me. For the first night in months, I slept and woke up refreshed.
John’s story: (see the video, no space here for full transcript)
The God of All Comfort
In this world we suffer loss. People die. Relationships are broken. We lose jobs. We lose our dreams.
We desperately need someone to come alongside us, to comfort us, to give us hope, courage, strength to go on. We need someone to share our burdens, and make life just a little bit easier. Many times there is no one willing or able to do this.
But God will! He wants to! He wants to very much!
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
Greek word for comfort is parakaleó: To call to one's side, to exhort, to encourage, to comfort, to urge (Strong's Lexicon 3870)
So good! God comes alongside us, to encourage (give hope, give strength, give courage to), to console (to ease grief and trouble).
One of the names of the Holy Spirit is the "paraklete" - the comforter. Just as God is love - it's who he is. The Holy Spirit is the comforter - the one who comes along side us, strengthens us, gives us courage, and urges us on in life.
Our burdens become lighter when we share them with someone. It's literally, like they carry part of our burdens.
When that someone is Holy Spirit, He will carry all our burdens.
1 Peter 5:7 AMP
casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].
Tell Holy Spirit your worries, your cares, & your concerns. Literally, give them to Him. He is God. He has committed to treat you as his child. God takes care of his kids. Trust Him. Put your faith in Him. And hand over your cares.
When you do that, it's like tag team wrestling. You're in the ring, and frankly you're getting stomped. The other guy (the devil) is just too strong for you. But all you have to do is get to the side of ring, put your hand through the ropes and tag your partner. And the Almighty Holy Spirit will jump from the top of the ropes onto Satan and slam him to the mat.
You're part of the tag team. You have to stay in the match, but Holy Spirit will win it for your team. And in the hardest part of the fight, he will come alongside you, give you courage, strengthen you, ease your grief and pain, and urge you on to victory.
Holy Spirit is the comforter you need.