my comfort

My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. (Psalm 119:50 NIV)

Jesus said in this world we WILL have trouble… affliction and suffering. But He also promised us a comforter, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of Comfort. What brings hope to those who trust in God in the midst of suffering? What brings hope, to those who lean on God, and strength to carry on when situations change for the worse? It’s the Promise. It’s the promise that we are not alone in our struggles. It’s the promise that God Himself is on our side and has given us something that no one in heaven, earth, or hell could ever take from us…His love and promise of eternal life.

The world gives ample opportunity to test this promise of comfort and peace. It tests it through circumstances seen. It tests it through situations that, on an earthly level, would scream, “Despair!” yet in the midst of utter hopelessness hope arises and breaks through the darkness.

For those who trust in God and put their hope in His Son, Jesus Christ, He grants the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit. It is His Spirit that reminds us of eternity. It is His Spirit that reminds us we are not bound by this world. It is His Spirit that reminds us we are in this world but not of it.

So how do those with faith in God rest in this peace? How do the children of God rest in this comfort? This happens as the Promise is tested. Yes, it is the very circumstances that hinder faith that also inspire it. For every struggle, every hardship, every pain, God has made available His Comfort. There is no circumstance that is void of His ability to provide peace and comfort. For every suffering there is a Savior. There is One who bore our shame and shared in ALL of our sufferings. He, Jesus, will never leave us nor forsake us. He is with us always and has gone on to prepare a place of rest for us. It is this promise that allows us to be a light to world, showing all creation that there is more to life than “this life.” We live today because we know we will live tomorrow. We trust today because we have a hope that goes beyond this world. If the earth was destroyed, we would still live. We have a hope, and in this hope we have peace…a peace that God has given and the world can never take away.