1 Corinthians 1:3, 4

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 receive from God ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4

When troubles come upon us, we are searching for answers, and we are searching for ways to move from our pain into healing. The burden of the moment is deep, and like David we call out in our faith to the God who gives us faith. Our cries may be long and hard, and they may run so deep we feel there is no way to escape them, or survive them. And the still, quiet appearance of God makes his way into our darkness, and gradually we see some light. It is an overwhelming relief as He helps us make what sense we can of our situation. We sense the Lord’s presence, and His comfort, sometimes in the voices of those close to us, sometimes in the quietness of our own thoughts, and often in the scriptures we read as we realize we are not alone, but are surrounded by those who have also encountered hardships. And so, as we are comforted by those who can know our plight, so we go on later to help those whom have lived through our time and kind of plight. Who greater can have compassion than those with like-minded pain and grief? Who better to understand your loss of child, spouse, parent than one whom has gone through these same moments of darkness and grief? And who is it that brings us through these moments? The Lord, our God and Father, who loves us with an overwhelming love and answers our cry in the dark night of our soul. Thank you, Lord, for comforting me, thank you for your compassion which is new every day and reaches into my soul.

Devotion by Pastor Julia