Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
2 Corinthians 1:3‭-‬4 (KJV).‬‬

REFLECT:
Is there anyone who would truly say that they do not need some comfort or mercy, especially, at the times we need them the most? Most certainly, we can all agree that every one of us at some time or point in our lives would be soliciting some form of mercy and comfort.

As human beings living in a fallen world, it is quite understandable that things we need, or desire do not just automatically fall into our lap. We usually would have to get up and go out to get what we want. Also, even when we go out to pursue our hearts’ desires, it is sometimes froth with certain amounts of pain, hardship, and grief.

It is at this point a lot of us need or look out for comfort and mercy. We then look for the comforters and mercy givers around us. This could come to us by way of some form of overindulgence such as in food, undue and unwarranted fun like sex, gossip, fashion, spending sprees, unhealthy relationships, habits, etc.

In the long run, we find out that such things are not quite achieving the goal we desire. They are not as satisfying or reliable, rather they become liabilities, giving us more grief, heartache, and pain than we had before.

With such experiences, most of us learn our lessons and try to retrace our steps. We reflect on the situation and try to seek out the right solutions. While others dwell even deeper in the terrible cycle that they have been caught up in.

Nevertheless, whether we are trying to seek a better solution, or we are still trapped in the clutches of despair there is a true solution to this problem. There is a place where we can find true mercy and comfort. That place is in God Almighty.

When we come to Jesus, He leads us to the Father. It is in the Father’s bosom we can find comfort for our hearts and mercy for our souls. God pours into us His Spirit, the one we know as the Holy Spirit is also known as the Spirit of Comfort and Mercy. It is in the Holy Spirit alone that we can experience the true comfort and mercy that we need.

If we read through Psalms 23, this entire concept of comfort and mercy plays out so beautifully before us. We can say that our Bible verse for today in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 is an offshoot from the 23rd Psalm. In this Psalm, we see the function of the roles of the Godhead represented here to give us the comfort, mercy, and satisfaction we most desire or need to bring us through our times of trouble and uncertainty.

This goes to show us how very important it is to God our Heavenly Father to want to bring us out of desperate situations into a place of comfort, rest, and mercy.

Our question would be, why would God our Father be so eager to want to shower these essentials on us? Of course, the number one reason would be that He is a good Father, who loves us, His children dearly and wishes that we have every good gift. He wants us to have every comfort and mercy that life can afford.

However, there is another very important reason why God comes through for us in this most unique way, and this is that He wants us to be a source of comfort and mercy to those around us who may not understand the mercy and comfort of the Father.

Therefore, when we let God use us as instruments in this regard, we act as catalysts to bring others to our loving and good Heavenly Father, so that they too may also know Him and partake of His mercy and comfort.

So, is anyone who may be reading this reflection of today in deep need of comfort and mercy? You need not look any further, all you need to do is allow Jesus to take you to the Father. Run into the Father’s embrace and just receive of His Spirit the comfort and mercy you need.

When we allow Jesus our Good shepherd lead us, we will always get the full benefits of all that the Father has for us by the working of His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Comfort and Mercy.

Ebimobo W. Obasi

PLEASE PRAY ALONG:

A Prayer of Comfort and Mercy.

FATHER GOD, You are my comforter. You offer me mercy and bring me back into a relationship with You. Please help me to be a comforter to others, too. Give me the strength to offer mercy as You have done for me. In JESUS MIGHTY NAME AMEN!