Comfort: a Person, Place and Thing

“But David found strength in the LORD his God.” I Samuel 30:6b

I love waking up near the ocean. Like a child at the first sign of dawn I rushed out to the beach. The cool breezes carried teams of birds hunting fish just past the first break. A few yards in stood a fisherman up to his chest in water. He was just deep enough to keep his arms casting overhead. And just deep enough to be carried away by his own prey. What do you do if you catch something deadly in its own element? I prayed safety for him, and sense. You have to go out that deep to catch anything, I suppose.

I opened my Bible to 1 Samuel 30 and read the story of a time when David and his fighting men were in way deep. “When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.” They were carried away so far into the depths of despair that David’s own men were even planning to kill him. “But David found strength in the LORD his God.”

How? I asked God. How did David find strength? What were his actions? I need to understand this formula so I can I apply it to my own life. Like the fisherman, how far out do I need to go to find this?
“Stop.” Whispered God to my soul.
“I provided.”
“David turned to me, and I provided.”
Just then, fish jumped in the surf near my feet. It all became clear. David didn’t have to go far at all. He turned to the God of comfort near him, found strength and direction in His presence, and received the very thing he needed to press on.

Comfort is a Person, Place and Thing.
Person – The God of Comfort binds up the broken hearted, heals all our wounds, and never forsakes us no matter how desperate the situation.
Place – Comfort is found in the presence of God. His presence is inescapable. He is on the heights and in the depths, whether we believe it or not.
Thing –Comfort is the thing that is transferred to us when we hand our pain to God. David’s men used their pain as a weapon, but David handed his over as a sacrifice.

Too many times in life I have been like David’s men, unwilling to surrender my pain and trade it for a plan higher than my own. I’ve gone to the wrong people, places and things for comfort instead of trusting the person, place and provision of God. Like the fisherman, I wade deep into enemy territory, when The God of Comfort is standing right before me with everything I need.

Are you wading out too deep, seeking comfort?

Who are you looking to for comfort?

How long do those sources of comfort last?

His Love is Unfailing. His comfort is available now.

brandi

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