The God of All Comfort
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. – Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 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. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NKJV.
In October of 2008 we found out that our son, Nick, had lost the sight in his left eye because of a detached retina. It is doubtful that he has any vision in the eye, but he may be able to see a light when shined directly into the eye. He had surgery in November of 2008 to stabilize the eye so that it would not have to be removed.
After we found out about Nick’s eye problem we decided that we would go ahead and take a trip to Branson, Missouri that we had planned for later. Nick is mentally challenged with Down Syndrome, and he has been a fan of the Oakridge Boys, since he was a little boy (He is 31 now.). We thought it would take all of our minds off of what had happened and the surgery.
The eye surgeon, a retinal specialist, told us when he said that Nick would not have sight in that eye that it was “Unfortunate.” While listening to the Oakridge Boys at Branson, they sang a song from their Christmas album. In the song a family has some bad things happen to them, and repeatedly they say it was “Unfortunate,” “Inconvenient,” and then they say, “The most inconvenient Christmas ever was, was the first one, when God came so far, to give himself to us, so when stress hits each December, how it helps me to remember God is with us most when things just can’t get worse, the most inconvenient Christmas ever was… was the first.” It spoke to my heart, and to Jeanie’s, as we knew that God knew exactly where we were and what was going on in our lives.
Yesterday, I took Nick back to the retinal specialist, and it was decided that another surgery would not improve the vision in his left eye. Nick continues to be at high risk for retinal detachment in his good eye, because of having had a cataract surgery, and also being very nearsighted.
When I am going through difficult times I have the tendency to want to have a pity party. Oh, woe is me. At the same time, I tend to think that God does not really care, and that He has forgotten about us. The spiritual fact is that God cares more than we can imagine, more than we can comprehend. Even during the most difficult of times God is able to reach out and touch us, encourage us so that we have the strength to continue on with life. He can do that because He is the “God of all comfort.”
You may be going through or have gone through much worse than I have ever experienced or ever will experience; however, God can give you the strength, the comfort that you need. Allow the “God of all comfort” to touch you at the point of your need. Ask Him to comfort you, and then watch for when He wraps His arms around you – lifting you up to live life again.
(In the midst of the most difficult of circumstances God can comfort you.)