Receiving the Comfort of the Lord

(1 Thessalonians? ?3:6-8)?

There are many blessings that we receive from the Lord as Christians. One of those is the comfort of the Lord.

In difficult times and circumstances, the Lord comforts His people. He carries them when they are feeling low and He lifts them up when they are down.

He takes away all causes of, and reasons for fear with the promises of the hope of salvation we have in Christ Jesus. These are only a few of the ways we receive the comfort of the Lord.

Overcoming fear and concern

The scripture I am looking at today shows how the comfort of the Lord overcomes fears and concerns. This is what the scripture says.

“But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith; for now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians? ?3:6-8)

Paul was greatly concerned and feared that the church of the Thessalonians may have gone astray. He was concerned that they had been tempted by the devil and walked away from the pure truth of the gospel as delivered by Paul.

But then we see in this verse how news came to him from Timothy who testified to the ongoing faith and love of the brethren, so alleviating the fears and concerns that Paul had held. He was comforted about them and received the comfort of the Lord.

The Comfort of the Lord

The Lord does not want His people to suffer. But sufferings are a necessary part of our growth in the ways of the Lord.

We are told in many places that there will be suffering. And it is obvious that this will happen because as Christians we are standing opposed to the ways of the world and the devil who is the ruler of this world. In addition to this we suffer from the human passions, lusts and desires of the flesh that we fight against daily as we learn to tame and control our passions by the power of the Holy Spirit.

But with all of these sufferings, we also receive the comfort of the Lord. The Lord comforts us in all things. He will not allow us to be tempted beyond our strength. And this is a great source of joy and comfort because He is in control and gives us the strength to grow to maturity in Him.

Furthermore, the Lord has promised to restore, establish, strengthen, and settle us after we go through the various trials that come upon us to test us. This too is a sign of the comfort of the Lord.

Let us not forget the promises of life offered to those who follow the ways of the Lord. This too is a great comfort because we know there is something far better for those who follow Christ. Has has a plan and a promise for His people, and we take comfort in knowing this.

The need for comfort today

Today there are forces at work that are leading us towards the times of the end. This coronavirus is just one of those things, as too are the dramatic weather events and natural disasters. All of these things were prophesied to occur in the last days.

So we can take comfort in the knowledge that these things were prophesied and it is evidence that the Lord has things under control and everything is unfolding according to His plan.

But even more than that is the promise of His protection in all of these things.

“There were some present at that very time who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus? I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” ??(Luke? ?13:1-5?)

As we read this scripture we see a powerful promise for those who seek Christ. It is a promise that offers the comfort of the Lord.

Jesus was showing that those people who suffered the disasters He mentioned in this scripture were no better or worse than anyone else. They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But He also says in these words that those who will repent and turn to Christ will be protected from such disasters. They have a level of protection from the Lord that is not afforded to those who do not follow in His ways.

And this is a great comfort. The comfort of the the Lord is given freely to those who come to Him so that we do not have to fear the disasters that are going on around us.

We do not need to fear coronavirus, floods, fires, earthquakes, cyclones, or anything else that may happen. The Lord has His people in the palm of His hands to protect them.

Even if we were to lose everything in one of these disasters, the Lord will not see His people destitute shut will ensure they are provided for. And taking that one step further, even if we were to lose our life, we can know with certainty that this is in accord with His plan for us and that He is taking us to a better place.

So in all things, including life and death, we can be assured and find peace in the comfort of the Lord. There is no need to fear anything and everything we go through is for our growth and strengthening. And through all of these things we have the comfort of the Lord.

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