God Comforts Us in Times of Struggle

Just because we feel like we are alone, doesn’t mean that we are. We just get so self-absorbed in our problem that we fail to see God is right there with us. Let’s read our main text II Corinthians 1:3-11

We are all going to face hard times. John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” But we don’t have to go looking for trouble because it will find us. A quote from Narcotics Anonymous, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Many people think it was Einstein the smart guy, but it was actually someone that lived through a life of insanity for a while.

But it is not just the people that live lives of sin that continue to do really dumb things. There are people out there that have the wrong idea about how things really are for them when they become Christians. God never promised to remove the storms of our lives, but what He did promise and continues to keep is point number one.

1. God hugs (comforts) us during the bad times.

II Corinthians 1:5-6, Romans 15:4, Psalms 23:4

How many of you have had a young child that, even after you told them not to do something because they would get hurt, did what you told them not to do and got hurt? Did you take care of them, comfort them or were you like, “well that’s what you get”?

How many of you have had a young child that got hurt at no fault of their own? Did you take care of them, comfort them or were you like, “well that’s life, just rub some dirt on it and go on?”

In Psalm 23, David says, “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” He also says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, (or the valley of the shadow of death.), I will fear no evil.” Two things that stick out to me, one David knows that just because he loves God and has a relationship with God that he will still go through some very tough times. God will not keep him on the mountain top. God will not keep him from facing tough times. What David knows is that God will be with us during these times.

The second thing that I see in this is that God doesn’t make the enemy go away so that David will not have distractions from the good things that God is doing. David doesn’t say, “You put my enemies out of the room while dinner is being prepared.” But rather, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” The meal is done and is being put on the table. Why did David say, “I will fear no evil”? Because God is with him.

The enemy is present, provoking you to make bad choices, maybe he is attacking you like he did Job? Even though Job was being attacked and really going through some bad times, he never turned his back on God. He never would curse God and die, like his wife told him to do. He stayed strong and God wrapped his arms around Job and in the end was better off than he was before the attacks of the devil.

God is the Father. God is a Father and takes care of us in a way that is the perfect example of how a parent should be. We all like to think of ourselves as good parents and most of the time we are, but we mess up from time to time. God does not. He gives us hugs in the bad times and point number 2 tells us…

2. God hugs (comforts) us during sad times.

Matthew 5:4, John 11:20-36

This story of Lazarus has to be one of most interesting stories to me. Jesus was about 2 days travel away in another town with his disciples when Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. He didn’t go to take care of it. He stayed there for a few more days. He told His disciples that the sickness would not end up in death. Then after a couple of days He tells His disciples that they were going back to Judea.

The disciples didn’t want to go because the Jews tried to kill Jesus the last time that He was there. He said that Lazarus had fallen asleep and He was going to wake him.

When Jesus got to Judea, He found out that Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. Which, I believe Jesus already knew when Lazarus had passed away. I think that when Martha shows up that she was very emotional. Probably overcome with sadness and anger. Jesus tries to reassure Martha about what is going to happen.

Martha goes and gets Mary. Mary was the one that washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them with her hair and poured perfume on his feet. She was also the one that sat at Jesus feet while He taught and that made Martha angry because she wasn’t helping with the meal preparations.

When Mary got there, she had pretty much the same reaction as Martha did. If You would have been here. When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews that were with her weeping. He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled and He wanted to know where Lazarus was laid. Jesus was so overwhelmed that he wept. Did Jesus know that soon Lazarus would be alive? Didn’t Jesus know that He had power over death? Then why did He weep? Because He loved them. Maybe because death was never the plan. Death entered the world when sin entered the world. It separated us from God.

Even though it may not seem like it at the moment, God hugs us when we are going through bad times and when we go through sad times. So, point 3 tells us that….

3. We should hug others.

Romans 15:2-3, II Corinthians 1:4

As many of you know not too long ago a young man named Cooper DeShields rode his bike in front of a car driven by Pastor John Mehrens on October 10th 2024. Cooper was 10 years old when he lost his life at the scene of the accident. Cooper was a good kid that cared about others and loved by many.

I received a phone call from Pastor John’s cell phone asking me to come and be with Pastor John because he had been involved in an accident. I did not know what I was getting into. Was John injured and not able to be removed from his car? What was really going on? I didn’t know. I just knew that I had to be there, I prayed the whole way.

When I got there, I could not see John, but I could see John’s SUV and I could see a bicycle. I asked some of the Granby 1st responders where John was and they pointed to the South. John was in a Highway Patrol car with some of his family was standing outside the door. Still not sure how bad things were, I ran to John. His daughter told me, what had happened and I never felt less qualified to be anywhere. That is when God showed His power through my weakness.

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what scriptures to say. I didn’t know how to help. There was no way in the world that I could fix anything. No way in the world that I could change anything. God put words in my mouth that could only come from Him. God made Himself known to John because of obedience. I was just being the vessel that God used to pray with John, to comfort John, to hug John and let John know that He never left John, that He was made sure that John knew how much God really cared about John.

I spoke to John. I prayed with John. I prayed for John. I hugged John. I cried with John. Sometimes we don’t need to say anything. We just need to wrap our arms around someone and help them cry. It’s not always about solving a problem or fixing a situation. Sometimes we just need to be there for one another. Like Job’s friends that sat with Job for 7 days and cried with him without saying a word.

Sometimes God will use you to hug others. Sometimes God will use others to hug you, but the only way that can happen is if you let people know when you are going through something. If you don’t let anyone know when you are vulnerable, how can you expect people to be vulnerable with you.

Hugs Help