Daily devotion – How to be a comfort!
The Ministry of Comfort
Blessed is the Christian who understands the ministry of comfort. But the question is, what does this ministry actually look like, and how does it work?
The English word comfort is derived from two Latin words which together mean “with strength.” The Holy Spirit Himself is called the Comforter.
John 14:16
“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever.”
He is called by that name because He strengthens us and enables us to handle the challenges of life. The Greek word translated Comforter simply means “one called alongside to help.” It was used of a friend who would stand beside you in a court of law and represent you, interceding on your behalf.
The word could be translated adviser, counsellor, or advocate, but perhaps the best understanding is encourager. To encourage someone literally means to put courage into them, to give them heart.
Unfortunately today, the word comfort has often taken on the meaning of protective sympathy. People attempt to comfort others by trying to make life easy for them, by sheltering or even pampering them.
But God comforts His children very differently.
He comforts us by putting within us what we truly need in that moment — the courage and strength to face life honestly and live it faithfully. The worst thing we can sometimes do for suffering people is to pamper them, allowing them to escape the very trials through which God desires to strengthen them. People may not like hearing this, but we must understand the true biblical meaning of comfort, not simply what our culture has made it to be.
The best thing a true friend in Christ can do is to be an encourager — helping others face their trials honestly, work through their struggles, and discover God’s divine enablement in the midst of them.
We can do this in several practical ways.
Sometimes comfort comes simply through our presence. Job’s friends initially gave him great support when they came and sat with him in silence. Sadly, things began to unravel when they started trying to explain everything.
We must learn to listen with the heart and respond to wounds, not merely to words.
We can also minister comfort by sharing the Word of God as it has ministered to us personally.
And we can minister comfort through prayer — the kind of prayer that reaches the throne of God and opens the fountains of His grace.
When God calls upon us to be comforters under His guidance, may we listen carefully to His voice and step humbly and truthfully in this precious ministry.