In life there are so many times we try to avoid negative or unwanted circumstances, strenuous trials and situations, doing everything within our power to stay clear of them. Have you ever thought, maybe this is where God wants us?
Romans 8:28 (NLT) says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”
I mistakenly always thought this verse meant that because I gave my life to God, my life will always be perfect and carefree because God got me and I’m on his team. If anything we have more trials and issues than those who don’t believe. But the constant weapon we have is God. We are always victorious from the start; it’s truly up to us to realize it, see it in the midst of our storm, and claim it in the end. So in retrospect, the verse is trying to highlight to us all that the adversities and trials we see ourselves in everyday don’t have the power we may think they have over us. God can and will change our rainy days into sunny ones, make our sad faces into bright smiles.
But don’t misunderstand me, I won’t sit here and lie to you all like it’s an instant mind shift or that God does it in that very moment we’re constantly praying for change. Maybe God does, but maybe God doesn’t too. I can write a whole book about the times I wish God just fixed a situation or made a circumstance change in my favor because the trial felt so insurmountable, and I was just hurting and groaning for better days. These moments can have you questioning God like, “Are you truly for me like you say you are, where are you, where were you?”
But 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NLT) reminds us: “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
God is the greatest comforter we can ever ask for, better than the most loving mother and more protective than the most protective father. If you don’t believe me, just look at your own lives; if you can’t see right now in yours, just look at mine. When I felt the most worthless of my life after my first real heartbreak, God did everything under the sun to show me that I did have worth. God allowed me to win a huge scholarship, someone to specifically choose me to be their best man, and allowed me to write for a great company in Unassociated. Another time is currently. When I got injured, doctors couldn’t tell me what was going on, if things would get better, or if I would ever be the same. I had periods of depression and dark days, mentally constantly wondering if I could make it through because I didn’t know how I could cope. But through God’s grace and my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT) I’m still here four months later, serving God to the best of my abilities, and maybe you are too in whatever life circumstances you may be in.
I believe that’s how and why God is the greatest comforter there is. In those situations and difficult periods in our lives that cause us to wonder how we will make it through – all we have to say is “God got me, he’s my comforter.” I won’t say life is easy, it can be crazy hard at times and leave you questioning whether or not this is what you really signed up for? Especially in the different trials we all endure, they can leave us questioning why we have to go through this? But the real question we should be asking ourselves is why not us? We may not love the process of these trials and situations, but best believe they’ll show us how great and comforting God truly is. I recently heard someone say, “It’s one thing to just get the miracle, but it’s another thing to discover God in the process…the miracle is going to eventually happen anyway.”
