Trusting in the God of All Comfort

When storms rise, so can our doubts. The recent floods in Texas, New Mexico, and North Carolina have left many reeling as they confront loss and frantically search for answers.

But the questions—the why and the how—can become so loud and so dominant, the comfort of God, the peace that surpasses all understanding, and the miraculous healing of our hearts become buried beneath rage and anger.

We’ve seen this with the Texas flood on the Fourth of July as headlines of rescues give way to blame and finger pointing.

I’m not letting myself get angry with warning sirens or lack of, however. Or upset with what camp hierarchy should have or should not have done as the Guadalupe River rose, surrounding and isolating children. I am choosing to lean against the breast of God and watch for His glory amid unbelievable afflictions.

And, I’ve seen that glory. I have been moved to tears as parents publicly declare their lost-to-the-flood children are now safe and sound in the arms of Jesus. I wept when I heard a bus full of young survivors sing praises to God as they were rescued and reunited with families. And I’ve marveled as God uses this pain and grief to give us all a deeper understanding of hope.

These are God-filled moments of holy awe. We’d do well to place our roller coasters of emotions into the hands of the One who will redeem every tear and make sense of the unsensible.

He is not distant, but in the thick of it all.

We know because He’s been very transparent about His purpose for our pain and His plans for our futures.

HE IS COMFORT

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 claims this promise:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

This isn’t a comfort that denies reality or erases pain. Rather, it’s a deep assurance that even in the darkest valley, we are not abandoned. God’s comfort is not selective; it is available “in all our affliction”—floods, loss, heartache, and unanswered questions.

We’re told He comforts us so we, as those made in His image, can comfort others with truth and love, reflecting holy peace.

HE IS TRUTH

Jesus knows we face confusion daily as we have been conditioned to question God and His love. Through failed governments, fallen leaders, and the depravity of our society, we keep believing that if we place the right person in office, get the weather under our control (global warming measures), or destroy fellow humans who don’t see the world as we do, we mud-made creatures will build a better planet earth on our own. We’re brought up believing that at some point, we’re going to usher in a new utopia via political party, or the globalization of our economies, or by working ourselves into God’s favor through Christian domination.

But Scripture shows us and tells us something much different. Thanks to Christ being the truth in all matters, there is no need to be confused or guess at why things are happening as they are. Through Scripture, we are offered wisdom on how the future for mortal humans plays out. Not only can we read God’s purposes and plans for us, but we’ve been given a person within the Trinity to help us sort it all out. And we know that we are justified through faith and not of works so that we may not be in a position to boast.

 In John 16:13, Jesus reassures us:

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

The Spirit of Truth does not leave us grasping in the dark or puzzling over Scripture. Instead, when we open our hearts and hands to His guidance, He reveals God’s wonderous mysteries to our once-limited understanding.

Leaning into God’s revelations, we are led—sometimes through tears, always by grace—toward the embodiment of love and redemption, Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 29:13 declares,

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

God’s comfort and truth are not reserved for the few or the fortunate but are available to any who earnestly seek Him. That means the likes of you and me can make the miraculous shift from fear to bravery; from doubt to trust.

HE IS HOPE

Romans 8:22-24 paints the broader picture:

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves… groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as [children], the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

All of creation, not just humanity, is longing for restoration. The floods, the wildfires, the chaos—these are but reminders that this world is not as it should be. Yet, we do not groan without hope. There is a coming day when tears will be wiped away, pain will be no more, and sadness will give way to everlasting joy. Until that day, we hold fast to the hope that anchors our souls: we are not alone, we are not without comfort, and we are not without a future.

Tragedies are not for naught but are the travails which lead to something more of us should be anticipating. This something is complete redemption—the capturing of every tragedy and making it something of immense spiritual value in the age to come. This is the foundation on which we place our faith and our hope for tomorrow.

HE IS WITHIN

In John 14, verse 1, Jesus tells His disciples:

In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

As Jesus took on flesh to be the ultimate sacrifice for humanity, He also placed His divine spirit within our flesh so we could take on the supernatural. He does so much more than see or have knowledge of our troubles. He lives them with us.

In Galatians 2:20, Paul wrote:

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Bewilderment is not for the Christian. We do not grieve alone.

He Is Close

By close, I mean we are close to His return for us. Look at the plan Paul revealed to those in the church of Thessalonica:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words. – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

As the earth groans, tragedies hit, wars erupt, civil riots increase, and leaders cry for peace and security, the above event draws close.

Here, as I usually include, is a list of the signs which tell us the return of Christ to gather His own is close. Let us look up!

For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. – Matthew 24:5-14

FINAL THOUGHTS

God is the God of all comfort, present in every storm. His Spirit leads us into truth, even when the way feels unclear. As we seek Him, we find Him faithful. And though we groan with all creation awaiting His return, we look forward to the new life He has promised—a world made whole, where comfort is not just a whisper, but a song that never ends.

Imagine families reunited, illnesses cured, brokenness mended, tears wiped away, and hate squelched by love as we live under the perfect rule of a perfect king. This is something you and I were made for. I find myself longing for what Satan and sin stole from us.

This earth, as we know it now, is not the final chapter, thank God.

May we be comforted, and in turn, become comforters—channels of hope and healing for all who suffer. For in every storm, His love remains.

 If I perish, I perish,

Laurie