Comfort

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Psalms 34:17-18

I was at lunch with a friend today and as we were talking about some stuff going on in my life [thank heaven for sweet friends who lift you up when you're down!] when this idea hit me: sometimes I think I ask the Lord to comfort me but really all I want is for Him to put me somewhere more comfortable. And when I do that I miss out on really allowing the Lord to comfort me, right where I am.

Not only do I miss out on the Lord's great comfort, but I miss out on all the other good that comes from our sufferings. Because being comfortable is way better than wading through the depths of pain and sorrow, right? But in the end what does being comfortable do for us? It doesn't press us closer to the Lord. It certainly doesn't cause us to reach out to the Lord. And it really doesn't help us grow in love and compassion toward the Lord or toward others. There is a verse in 2nd Corinthians that has always stuck with me... "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 have received from God." (1:3)

Not only do my sorrows draw me closer to the Lord and allow me to see more of His character, but they allow me to draw comfort so that I may comfort others. The Lord is good to us! He uses all things for our good and His glory, of that I am sure.