"Comfort"

It seems more and more are wanting proof (and some even demand proof) about God and His love for them. In most cases, the searching for God's love comes when difficulties hit us. We cry, hurt and question why doesn't God do something. It reveals more about us and less about God. God already proved something!

When children are suffering with a sickness, you never hear them demand from their parents to prove their love. In godly, loving marriages, the mates do not ask the other to prove their love. Good, close friends do not come asking the other to prove their commitment in the friendship. Anytime when one starts questioning or demanding from the other the proof of their love or commitment in a relationship, something has already been lost! If a husband has been such a 'clod' to make his wife question his love, there needs to be a sincere, honest move toward her to set her heart and mind at ease in his actions, not by his words. What are we learning? God has already demonstrated His love toward us! Just look at the cross! If that doesn't do it for you, then we need to go back and look at our faith because we simply do not believe or trust Him. When you suffer, God enters that suffering with you! Just look at Stephen in Acts 7. When he was being stoned because of his love and commitment to the Lord, the Lord didn't take away his suffering but gave him a power to rise above the suffering and he uttered the words, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" (Acts 7:60) Right there, in the midst of what seemed like gloom came a power into his life that led him to lean on Christ.

We stand at the graveside of a beloved brother, sister or godly mate. People grieve and feel the loss. But wait, what about God? Where is He is all the pain felt in the heart? Right in the middle sharing in the whole. God has intervened to take us to a higher level telling us that those who have "fallen asleep" are with Jesus! His word assures us to not grieve like those without hope. It all comes down to one thing: 'IF WE BELIEVE'! (I Thes. 4:13-18) You want proof? Look at the resurrected Lord. God says to those faithful believers that He will bring them back with Him. They aren't dead. Jesus defeated death and God proved it by raising Him from the dead. We aren't in this world by ourselves. We are in this world of suffering with a God who suffers with us, only to provide us the strength to endure, the power to rise above and the assurance that God is in control. And how does all this end? "Therefore comfort one another with these word."