Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Family”
Our Bible verse for today: “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “He makes us strong in the broken places”
It’s always a difficult thing to watch someone we love and care for going through a difficult and painful season of life. We want to help them so badly, but often we just don’t know what to do or say. And honestly, often there is little we can do or say.
Many times we simply have to be content to be there for them and to walk through it with them. That’s because often the solution to the situation is out of our hands. Perhaps there is physical healing that has to take place, and that’s up to the Lord, the doctors, and the medicine. Or maybe there’s an addiction that has to be overcome. Or the person has lost a loved one and now they have to progress through the stages of grief, acceptance, and adjustment.
There could be endless examples but the point is that sometimes there is no quick and easy answer and so our part is to simply be there for them, support them as we can, and offer our love, prayers, and words of encouragement as appropriate.
One of the Bible verses I frequently refer people to in such cases is 2 Corinthians 1:4. This verse reveals several important spiritual truths about suffering, comfort, hope, and readjustment.
For one thing it reminds us that God is our source of comfort during times of affliction. This is just one of numerous passages in both the Old and New Testaments that remind us to bring those times to God so we can receive comfort and peace from Him.
This verse also encourages us to take our eyes off of ourselves and to focus instead on being a blessing to others. Yes, even in the middle of our own pain we are to look for ways to bless others. When you take your eyes off of yourself and focus instead on blessing others, you discover that your own situation doesn’t seem as bad anymore and is a little easier to deal with.
But another important Biblical truth that Paul refers to in this verse is the fact that God will often use our pain and suffering as a means of preparing us to minister to others in that same situation. Many times as we heal from the thing that is hurting us, we end up stronger in the very place we were broken.
That’s why the best addiction counselors are usually those who were once addicts themselves. It’s why the founders of MADD (Mother’s Against Drunk Driving) were all mothers who had lost children because of drunk drivers. It’s why those who have fought their way through deep depression sometimes end up being clinical counselors who help others to fight their way through depression. And on and on the examples go. We often end up strongest in the very areas in which we were broken.
What does this have to do with our theme this month of “Family”? Just that when you have someone close to you who is going through a difficult season of life one of the ways in which you can encourage them is to remind them of the great truth of 2 Corinthians 1:4. Remind them to take the situation to God, every day. Encourage them to focus on blessing others as a means of working through their own pain. Help them to see that this season of suffering can be the prelude to a new purpose in their life. And remind them that we often end up being strongest in the very place where we were broken.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 