I have a “journal prompts” book that I sometimes thumb through.
I was sitting in my office feeling discombobulated with too many decisions, too many meetings, and too many conflicting emotions. So as I was needing a distraction, I picked up this book and it fell to the page that said…
What does comfort look like to you?
Just what I needed to get my head on straight at this moment!
Comfort…
Something warm, tasty, peaceful…like a perfect cup of coffee, a warm blanket, fuzzy socks. Can you tell I don’t like to be cold? 🙂
A warm tropical breeze, a chat with a good friend over drinks, a page-turner novel, a good worship sesh that has no time limits…
There is something inside all of us that is craving comfort. I believe it is the reason we ask ‘Why?’ when things don’t go our way, or we hear of devastating news, or there is a roadblock in our path and we just can’t see around it. We are asking ‘Why?’ when really our hearts are crying out for comfort, for the pain to stop, for peace. If we really had the answer to that question, while it seems it would remove the stress from the moment, in actuality, it would probably only create more angst.
Think of the thing in your life that you hear yourself asking ‘Why?’ about, and stop for a minute. If you had a quick digital print out of the exact reasons you are facing this crisis, and if all the information was automatically lined out for you, would it change the feelings of tension inside of you? I don’t think the technical answers would satisfy the true question in your heart. What you are really looking for is peace to the storm, for the thing to be fixed and no longer a problem, for the grief to lift.
2 Corinthians 1:3,4: “All praises belong to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For He is the Father of tender mercy and the God of endless comfort. He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us.”
What if we stopped asking ‘WHY???’ and started to pursue this “God of endless comfort”? Is it possible in those moments of frustration to stop and realize that what I am truly asking for is not the answer to my whys, but for the pain to stop, and to be re-centered on His goodness, and His eye-view of the situation?
Does He really care about the details of my life? Does He care that I am frustrated, that I am crying, that I hurt?
Oh, friends. Listen to His still quiet voice in the midst of the turmoil. He yearns to tell you that He not only cares, but He is in it with you. None of it is surprising to Him. He has already made a way, and He truly desires to hold you together. His tangible love that He sends through Holy Spirit will wrap around you in a way that no earthly comfort can mimic. Tell your heart to try it; trust. In this moment. In this pain.
Just now, I got a notification on my phone of a text from my daughter. She is in school, listening to music, and sent me a snippet…a woman singing an old, almost forgotten hymn that is rich in message:
‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.
Just to take Him at His word.
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”
I know it is old-fashioned language, but for me, there is a deep amount of comfort in the truth that I really can trust Him. He really has proven over and over again that He is trustworthy. The chorus goes like this:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus
O, for grace to trust Him more!
That’s it right? How we need grace to trust Him more! When we are at our wit’s end, when the way ahead is dark, we ask why, but really need grace to trust Him more.
The good news is…He promises it.
2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you…”
When you feel the anxiety creeping up on you, and your insides are starting to churn, ask Him to remind you of a time He proved Himself to you. It may be little or big, but there really is a time you can think of. We like to call them “God moments” at You Are Worthy – those experiences where He showed up and you knew it had to be Him. Fill up your trust tank with these memories, and step into the comfort this brings as you embrace His love.
Give yourself a few minutes… grab that cup of coffee, sit in your favorite chair, take a walk and feel the breeze on your face…go to that place of comfort and let Him hold you. You deserve it.