Guest Post: Is God a God of Comfort?

Is God a God of Comfort?

A guest post by bestselling author Angela R. Watts

It is easy to lose ourselves in the worldly spectrum of fleshly comforts--compulsive shopping, obsessive eating, the list of comforting, yet harmful, things we seek is a long one. But these are momentary bursts of happiness. True comfort does not come from a full shopping cart, a really good pizza, or a day spent binging 90’s sitcoms.

Every person faces trials in their life. Some might seem mountainous, some might seem trivial. If you find yourself swamped in trivial disasters with a giant mountain looming ahead--you aren’t alone. We’ve all been there. The best way to find hope, however, is first, to find comfort in the Lord.

The Merriam-Webster definition of comfort is this: “: to give strength and hope to: CHEER” Does this sound familiar? “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 is quite the sucker punch to the gut, isn’t it? But how does God expect us to be of good cheer when our world is falling apart? Do we have to fake a smile and be jolly, even when we’re grieving or broken inside?

Well, a quick look into the handy tool of e-Sword, this is what we can find. When we look into the word of “cheer” in John 16:33, it says also...

θαρσέω

tharseō

thar-seh'-o

From G2294; to have courage: - be of good cheer (comfort). Compare G2292.

Total KJV occurrences: 8

The word “cheer” in Mark and Matthew had the same definition, too! I don’t know about you, but every time I’ve read these verses, they almost shamed me. Why was I seeking comfort and a hug from God when I was broken, if He insisted I be cheerful above all else? Well, it wasn’t God giving some ludicrous instruction, it was my own failure at understanding Scripture!

When we are fast to ignore our emotions because we are mistakenly believing that God does not want to see our emotions unless they are bright, fluffy, and sparkles… that is when we make the mistake of turning to more fleshly means of comfort. We run from God, so to speak. I know I did. I didn’t want to make God ashamed of me when I sought comfort. I had forgotten the verses so clearly stated in the Word… Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” When we take other verses that command us to find cheer, we forget the complete meaning.

God is a merciful father. He is not telling us to get it all together and be happy all the time. He is, however, telling us to come to Him. He will help us, He will be our shelter, He is with us through every trial and He has won the final battle. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed [be] God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” What a beautiful part of Scripture! When we know that God is with us and He is loving, then we can choose courage! Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

It is so easy to forget that God loves every part of us, the good, the bad, the ugly, the broken! He does not want us to flee from Him and choose comforts of the world that will fall away or break us farther. He is there waiting, ready to hold us, shield us, heal us! Through God we have not only comfort, but courage to fight on, to heal, to keep going! If you have been rejected by a close friend or family member, Jesus was also rejected. If you have been ridiculed by people or peers, Jesus was also ridiculed by peers. No matter the trial you face, even if you think you’re drowning in it all, Jesus is with you. God will not forsake you, and this is one of His promises. 

I pray this post encouraged you. If you’d like to reach out to me, you can find me (and more posts like this!) on my website, angelarwatts.com. Thanks for reading!

God bless,

Angela R. Watts

About the author: Angela is the bestselling author of The Infidel Books. She writes bold fiction that glorifies Christ and has published over seven books. She lives at Step By Step Sanctuary, Tennessee, though with Gypsy and Norwegian in her blood, she loves traveling. She’s been writing stories since she was little, but when she's not writing, she's probably raising animals, painting, or working with her amazing clients.