Daily Devotional

God of All Comfort

“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Hebrews 2:18, NIV

Once when I was in my latter teens, I was in love with a girl. It might have been puppy love, but it was real to me, the “puppy”! We became tentatively engaged to be married, even though we were both much too young. However, she felt that the Lord was leading her to another young man—one of my best friends.

I suffered a broken heart, and I remember going to a clergyman friend of mine to seek his help. He turned me to 2 Corinthians 1:3–4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

From those words of the apostle I gained comfort. But there is more to it than that. This passage from Paul suggests a new insight into suffering. Briefly put, it is this: not only are we comforted in our trials, but our trials can equip us to comfort others. Has God taught you something through your trials that could help someone else today?

Hope for Today

Some don’t want to discuss their trials because it brings up bad memories or causes embarrassment. But God calls us to share our stories. We never know who in the trenches needs to hear it.