Confidence in God's Comfort

Where do you find comfort? Maybe it’s a nice bed, or a good night of sleep, or a delicious meal, or a warm cup of tea, or a walk outside, or a round of golf, or quality time with friends. We are good at searching for comfort, but we don’t always find it where we think we should. While these things aren’t bad, but when we go to them for comfort and never go to God, we miss out on true comfort. Maybe this is why anxiety, depression, and suicide rates have climbed in the past few years. Our world is in desperate need of God’s comfort, but they’re substituting it with worldly comforts. As the Church, it’s easy to recognize God’s blessings for ourselves without taking them to the hurting people around us. We forget that the majority of the world doesn’t have the hope we do, the peace we experience, or the comfort we need in the midst of suffering. When the world is dark, who will bring the true Light? Every one of God’s blessings has been given to us to fulfill our needs and the needs of others around us. We must first trust in God as our source of comfort before we can give it away to other people. Once the people of God start to do this, the world will experience the true comfort of their loving Father. Reflection/Discussion Question: How can you bring God’s comfort to non-Christians around you?

When hit with the realization that life is short, people tend to do one of two things: They start living with more purpose and intentionality in order to make the most of their days, or they start living more recklessly and without care because they are overcome with a sense of hopelessness and fear of death. Isaiah 2:22 says, “Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?” (NIV). This puts our lives into perspective. The only thing we have right now is the breath in our nostrils. The next breath isn’t guaranteed.  And yet, we spend our entire lives building our own empire that will turn to dust, just like we will one day. We spend our lives building riches, amassing stuff, creating a name for ourselves, and accumulating accolades from “important” people. Those of us who may prefer a quieter lifestyle still often get caught up in this life by working hard to surround ourselves with as much physical comforts as possible. But when we return to dust, all of these efforts will be in vain. There is a line in the song “All Glory be to Christ” by Dustin Kensrue that says, “Should nothing of our efforts stand, no legacy survive, unless the Lord does raise the house, in vain its builders strive. To you who boast tomorrow’s gain, tell me, what is your life? A mist that vanishes at dawn, all glory be to Christ.” The irony is that this song is sung to the tune of Auld Lang Syne, which is often sung for New Year’s Eve—when we celebrate what tomorrow brings. We spend our efforts building a life that lasts as long as we do, but it’s all in vain if it isn’t building the kingdom of God. Our life is but a mist that vanishes at dawn. We are dust and to dust we will return. If we spend our lives building what will eventually come to dust, we will have lived our lives in vain. Reflection/Discussion Question: What is your immediate reaction when you start thinking about death?