CHAPTER 9

"Comfort"

2Corinthians 1:3-5  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴who 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. ⁵For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.

Comfort. A very important Bible word. It means to relieve distress; to console. Every human being at one time or another needs to be comforted. I have tried to offer the ministry of comfort to others for most of my life, but I have not been on the needy end of it very often. There have been accidents and sicknesses, but for the most part my life has been free of tragic, devastating events like the one we are faced with now. Ministry to the hurting and distressed came from a heart of compassion and love, but less of a heart of understanding. No one ever knows exactly what someone else is going through, but those who have been through similar suffering have more understanding than those who haven't suffered much.

2Corinthinas 1:7  And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

RECIPIENTS: God has been so good to us making sure that we who have been partakers of suffering have also been partakers of consolation. This word means comfort fortified with encouragement. We have received comfort from God in so many ways. God has demonstrated mercy over and over again. Every day we are in need of His mercy and every day He is faithful to deliver it. God has ministered to us through His Word. Verses that we knew intellectually have taken on new, deep and personal meaning. Passages that spoke to us one way speak to us in an entirely new way now. Prayer is more intimate and intense than ever before. We have been so encouraged by our Lord.

But we have also been encouraged by God's people. The Body of Christ has done the ministry of consolation in extreme fashion. People we did not even know before Andrea's accident have become close friends and partners in prayer. So many gifts of love have been given that our hearts are lifted up in praise to our Lord for allowing us to have such a loving family.

PARTICIPANTS: God has not only called us to the ministry of reconciliation but also to the ministry of  consolation. As a recipient of this ministry I feel a great debt to the Body of Christ and anticipate many opportunities to minister to hurting people. After all, that is a clear and obvious reason for going through trials. ⁴who 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.

Luke 12:48b For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Ministry should and must be the natural outcome of salvation. Jesus gave His everything to save me and I can do nothing less than give myself back to Him. Paul demonstrated the servants heart by writing to the churches while he was in prison. He wanted to go to the churches and be with the people, but he did the next best thing - he wrote letters. And because he wrote and his letters were copied and shared all over the world he actually ministered to more people by writing than he could ever have ministered to on foot. I believe that he had this truth in mind when he wrote: ⁵For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. He didn't let his trial keep him from ministry - he actually used it to further the cause of Christ.

I am blessed to have a ministry to about 300 young people and 30 adults at the school. I cherish the opportunity the Lord has given me. Souls have been saved this year. Lives have been changed. Families have been impacted. Along with all those direct contacts He has enabled me to minister to about 500 parents. Wow! I'm having a blast doing what comes natural - ministry.

I never expected the Lord to use the biggest tragedy our family has faced to open up even more doors to minister, but He did. Many have written, called and visited with me and have let me know that the way God is working in our lives has affected their lives tremendously. Sharing my journal and personal thoughts is a blessing to me, but God is actually using it to minister to others. That's pretty wild. I'm just doing what I like to do and what comes natural to me and God is using it for His glory.

So, one purpose for a trial is to open doors of ministry. I'm sure there can be many reasons the Lord allows trial, but this one is spelled out for us in God's Word. As we receive comfort and consolation we are called to the ministry of comfort and consolation. The days ahead are going to be rough as far as this trial is concerned, but somewhere along the way God is going to allow us the blessing of ministry to hurting people. There is nothing in the world as fulfilling as being used by God. I can't wait!!!