Notice how easy it is. I was just in a book store just the other day, started to talk to the person there, and began to ask and enquire, and just talk into their heart. Next thing I know, the person's opening their heart - tears, this person's standing there in the middle of the place, where they're supposed to be selling. They're just blubbering and tears are all coming down, and they're starting to share. Why? Because they felt God come near them, because of what I said to them. We're called to bring comfort to others, and I was able to really help that person.
Here's a ‘comfort’ question (from a book I read): “Can you ever recall as a child, being comforted during a time of emotional distress - when someone actually connected with you, listened to you, understood your pain, and gave you reassurance afterwards, so you felt better?”
I thought: ooh, I don't like that question. The answer I had was no - and I was quite shocked when I thought: well actually... no.
Next question: “what do you do when you get in pain?” I came to the horrible recognition: over years, when I'm in pain - I isolate, and the pain increases. I used to read books to try and feel better.
Isn't that what people do when they get in pain - isolate? Or they react - get really on an edge; or we can receive comfort from God.
God doesn't always comfort you directly. Sometimes, His way of comforting you is through another person. You might be sitting next to the person that God has called you to comfort - or the person that God has sent to you to comfort you.
The word ‘comfort’ in the Bible is not just putting your arms around, and just: there, there, there and make you feel better. Instead, the word comfort addresses the root of the problem - it means literally: to call near; or to: come alongside you, in your distress, and be there for you.
Jesus is a comforter. He said: I'm going to send you another comforter, just like Me. His name is: Emmanuel, God with us. The biggest aspect of comfort in the Bible is that God doesn't leave us alone. He comes and connects with us to help us, and walk with us through the difficulty - it doesn't always change the difficulty, but someone is there with us.
You can see what comfort looks like in 1 Samuel 23:16. David is now hunted down. He's gone from fame, to he's now number one on the wanted list. There's a poster out: shoot him on sight. So he came out into the wilderness.
“then Jonathan, Saul's son, arose, and went to David in the woods, and strengthened his hand in God. And said to him: do not fear, the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, I shall be next to you. And even my father knows that. The two of them made a covenant before the Lord.”
Here's a man who strengthened. If you comfort someone, after your ministry to them, they are strengthened in God. They feel stronger, more able to handle what they're facing.
There are some things you need to learn to do - I'm going to give you the not-to-do's first, because I know there's things that we've all done. I have observed over years in ministry, that when people are in trouble, the worst people that come to help them sometimes are Christians. I know this isn't you, but just in case you know someone who did some of these things, then you could just tick these ones off!
When someone has trouble, don't come to them and say: “I just know what you're feeling”, and “I know what you're going through”. You don't!