Finding Solace in God

Continued from page 1

You may be saying, "But Luis, you don't understand. My situation is different." No problem is unique. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man." For God, one situation is not more difficult than another. God testifies of His own problem-solving ability in all mankind. Is anything too difficult for me?"

Paul experienced desperate need--physically, emotionally and financially. Yet he declared, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). From personal experience Paul spoke of a God who proved sufficient for the pressures of his life. Even Paul was not exempt from the temptation to despair, but he knew how to flee to his Heavenly Father for comfort. How else could he write that God "comforts us in all our troubles" (2 Corinthians 1:4)?

Paul so knew God's keeping power that he did far more than endure his problems. He was strengthened and blessed by them! In turn he was able to comfort others in their hardships with the same comfort he had personally received from God.

Little wonder that in 1 Corinthians 1:3-7 the word "comfort" appears no fewer than nine times. And each time, the verb is used to illustrate how God stands beside us and encourages us in the midst of our severest trials.

Unfortunately, when many Christians face trials, they forget to look to God for comfort. "I'm such a nice person," they say. "Why does God allow these things to happen to me?"

Listen to clips from Luis Palau's DC Festival

One reason we experience trials is to enable us to comfort others who are hurting. Christians who are walking with the Lord have much to share regarding the blessings God has given them in times of deep need or despair.

As a Christian, have you met the true Comforter? Do others turn to you for counsel because they sense God's comforting presence in your life?

Or are you a Christian who complains about everything? Do you blame God for your own failures? It must grieve our Lord deeply to hear some of the ridiculous things we complain about when He has given us so much. He must ache when He sees His children facing adversity yet refusing to call upon Him for comfort.

It's powerful when a Christian can tell someone, "Because of a similar situation I've experienced, I think I understand what you're going through. Let me share with you what God did for me."

In the ministry of comfort, God's Word comes alive, and His promises become active and real. Suddenly you understand why you went through your hardship. And, praise God, it was worth it!

Paul wrote that even the most severe pressures of daily life never separate us from the tenderness and compassion of our Heavenly Father. On the contrary, when we feel like our world is falling apart, God's power and grace are magnified. As a missionary once said, "Peace is not the absence of conflict. Peace is the ability to cope." The God of all comfort can provide that "copeability" in the midst of any crisis.

Paul is not saying that we won't face disappointment, suffering or conflict in life. But he is saying that no Christian need ever despair. Why? Because we worship the God of all comfort--the God who is sufficient for every pressure of life.

_Related Features

Listen to Clips from Luis Palau's DC Festival Accept God's Best: Interview with Luis Palau Where Is God When Bad Things Happen? Five Ways God Answers Prayers