The Father's Comfort

In my previous post, we took a closer look at the difficult reality of suffering—how it tests us and how hope can lift us beyond our pain. This time, I want to explore comfort, which I believe is the healing response to suffering. While suffering pulls us through pain and distress; comfort is relief from that pain. It’s an expression of love that satisfies, strengthens, and brings a quiet sense of well-being. I believe comfort is what truly enables us to face hardship, to heal our broken hearts, and to rediscover peace.

The Tragedy of an Uncomforted Heart
When we are not comforted it's a tragedy and one that is so aptly described by Solomon. 

Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed - and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors - and they have no comforter. And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 NIV)

Many people face life feeling like this, carrying the weight of loss or trauma without receiving any comfort. We grieve or mourn and are not comforted. We feel abandoned, rejected, sick, wounded, broken; without comfort we carry these burdens which begin to feel immovable. In contrast, true comfort comes as an expression of love that soothes our pain and lifts the trauma out of our heart.

The Power of True Comfort
We need a level of comfort that is deep enough to heal trauma and strong enough to support us through hardship. Comfort, in its fullness, reaches down beneath our pain and gently brings it up to the surface, giving it space to be acknowledged and eventually released. Only this kind of comfort frees us from distress; without it, we remain unhealed, carrying the weight of our struggles indefinitely. This is not the Father's plan, he wants us to be comforted and to go on receiving comfort. 

In John 14 Jesus promises us this comfort as he says he will send another 'helper' (often translated another 'comforter'). He's talking about the Holy Spirit who has come and is with us forever. 

Paul shows us the importance of being comforted when he writes:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7 NIV). 

Paul experiences this first hand when the Corinthians send Titus to visit him in Macedonia. Paul is clearly having a bad time and his friend comes to visit - that in itself is comforting but Paul emphasises it is not only Titus' comfort but also that which has been sent from the church in Corinth through Titus (2 Corinthians 7:5-7). Comfort is powerful, it brings healing and it reliefs us from the pain and heartache of our sufferings. 

Allowing Ourselves to be Comforted
​When we allow ourselves to be comforted our heart undergoes a major transformation. We shy away from being comforted because it's often considered a weakness or we are afraid of making ourselves too vulnerable. We're taught to bear our burdens and press on through them, the implication being that if we try hard enough we can overcome. We forget the words of Jesus who tells us that he is the overcomer and it is because of this that we can have peace (John 16:33). 

Isaiah paints a beautiful picture of the profound transformation that takes place when God comforts His people:

The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. (Isaiah 51:3 NIV)

Those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. “I, even I, am he who comforts you. (Isaiah 51:11 NIV)

What has been a desert becomes a beautiful garden. Sadness and sorrow give way to joy and gladness. Our heart is brought home and therefore to a place of rest and peace. This is what we long for. It's what we try and find through all sorts of other ways but are often frustrated. A comforted heart is what we have been searching for, what we long for yet only find as we are comforted by the comforting love of the Father.

A Comforted Heart Brings Strength
In times of suffering, trauma, or loss, what we need is comfort. It might not change our circumstances, but it changes our heart. This inner transformation gives us strength, enabling us to face life’s trials with the assurance that God, in His love and compassion, is always by our side. He is, after all, the Father who comforts us in all our troubles.

So as we walk through our hardships, may we open our hearts to this comfort. Only then can we find the peace and strength we’ve been searching for all along. It is then that we experience God being a Father to us.