… the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Many people are desperately in need of comfort. They may be experiencing financial pressure, homelessness, physical suffering, sorrow over a handicapped child, bereavement, disgrace due to sin, a life of loneliness, the aftermath of an abortion, fear and uncertainty, marital breakup, weariness of the flesh, a besetting temptation, a family suicide, the death of a spouse, a shattering divorce, or grief over a prodigal child. The list goes on and on and on. Surely, it is true that people need comfort.

The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter, and the Father is the God of all comfort. Jesus comforts us by His presence. Thus, we have a whole trinity of comfort.

In the very early years of our church, a wonderful young Christian mother had a two-year-old son climb the fence in their back yard when she was on the phone. He fell into the canal and drowned. I sat in her home for hours the next day trying to comfort her.

Person after person came in, but she later told me, “There were only two people who were really able to comfort me, and they were both mothers who had lost a child.” They knew how it felt and they were there in her time of need. Just by our presence we can comfort people in the time of their grief.

Question to ponder:
Can you think of someone who might need comfort and how you could possibly help?