[Discoveries] 07-20-08 Our comforting God -- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*... the God of all comfort ... comforts us in all our troubles so that 
we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have 
received from God. -- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4*/

Human suffering provokes a whole range of responses. Job's "comforters" 
added to his torment by assigning blame where it didn't belong. They 
thought they were helping, but disapproval should never be mistaken for 
a solution.

Some sympathy is merely thinly veiled contempt. Some "comforters" want 
to feel better about themselves by pretending to care about others. Some 
people empathize -- they feel pain with the sufferer, usually because 
they've experienced pain themselves.

But God goes way beyond all of this. Yes, God listens. And, yes, He 
cares. He does feel our pain. Jesus was a Man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief. But when the listening is done and the empathizing is over, 
God has more for us. He has comfort.

What is comfort? It is peace in the place of panic. It is joy in the 
place of grief. It is settled contentment in the place of great loss. It 
is the God-given ability to look trouble in the face and laugh. It is 
the realization that "those things" don't bother us any more.

Comfort is a great treasure. It is buried in the middle of trouble. It 
eludes many. But when we bring Jesus into our places of pain, He will 
find it for us.

Be encouraged!
Dwight

What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries? Victims of 
violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace, wholeness, the 
power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries. Those ensnared by 
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are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in restricted lands who 
face persecution are finding strength and encouragement. Young believers 
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person's efforts, but rather this is God's work as He blesses the 
sacrifice of many people including yourself. We partner with you, with 
other ministries, and, most significantly, with the Lord. That's how the 
supernatural happens.

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