Comfort

God has given me the gift of His comfort over the past several weeks. I have never had anyone close to me pass away; as such I guess I have never fully understood the meaning of the word comfort. Webster’s defines comfort as: to give strength and hope to, or to ease the grief or trouble of. Recently two of my friends lost their mother’s. I tried to comfort them but I truly did not understand what they were going through. I now find myself receiving comfort from them. They’ve been there, they understand. In just the same way Jesus comforts me. I researched the idea of grief in the bible and came to the story in John 11 about Lazarus’ death. “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept.” John 11:33-35. Jesus grieves; he understands our hurt and heartache. As I contemplated this thought I realized that Jesus not only has empathy with grief but with every emotion we are going through. He was the Son of Man, he walked this earth, he felt our emotions and now he sits on the right hand of God loving, guiding and comforting us. What an amazing Love God has for us to send his Son to live as we do, and to die for us, so that we may know His remarkable Peace. The simplicity and yet depth of His plan is a constant surprise.