Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3
I have nine brothers and sisters that are all younger than me, and I have three children of my own. I know a thing or two about babies. One of the most notable characteristics of babies is that they cry. A lot. You don’t even have to grow up around babies or be a baby expert to know that. However, trying to figure out why they are crying is a completely different matter altogether. Life around a baby would be so much easier if they could just say what was bothering them, but unless you have a living marvel on your hands, that surely isn’t going to happen. So they leave you to wander through the darkness of trying to figure out what is ailing them. On more than one occasion, even after the baby had been changed, fed, and well-rested, he continued to cry as if something was horribly wrong. In the end, all he wanted was to be picked up so he could lay his head on my shoulder as a nice resting-place to suck his thumb. He wasn’t hurt or annoyed (he probably didn’t even really know what he wanted), he just needed to feel the reassuring hug of someone familiar and comforting to him.
God does the same with his children. Sometimes the cares and struggles of life begin to bog us down to the point where we don’t even know what is wrong with us. We turn to God for help, but we cannot even express to Him how we feel or why we need Him. We kneel before Him, but the words do not come. The difference between our Heavenly Father and an earthly father is that God doesn’t have to guess why we are crying. He knows our hearts even better than we do. He is there to offer us the shoulder we need to cry on. He consoles us with a restoring love that binds up any wounds, calms all our fears, and wipes away the tears we are afraid to let others see.
I want my kids to want me to comfort them when they need someone. Our Father in Heaven is no different. Do you have things that are weighing you down? Do you have struggles in school, at work, or at home that seem to be more than you can bear? Do you struggle with anxiety or depression? Run to God. He is standing with His arms open, waiting to give you all the consolation you need.
Read also: 2 Corinthians 1:2-7
Quote of the day: "Therefore ought a man to rest wholly upon God, so that he needeth not seek much comfort at the hands of men.” – Thomas a’ Kempis