Comfort: December 7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV)
When God called me out of the darkness, I was in prison at the time. I was not only in spiritual prison, but an actual cement walls and iron bars prison. As I dealt with the afflictions I put on myself by my own behavior, a pastor named Rich Peterson visited me. He brought comfort to me through the truth of the Gospel.
The word “comfort” in Greek means, “One who comes alongside to help.” It was God, through the Word of Christ and His Holy Spirit, who strengthened me, gave me courage, and gave me hope. I believe God takes us through certain trials, so we can comfort people in the same kind of trials.
In our Native communities, there is so much affliction and brokenness. We at Lutheran Indian Ministries come along side to help by taking the hope we have in Jesus Christ to the afflicted and broken. We walk alongside them, sharing our battle scars and tears, but more importantly, the hope we find in Jesus Christ who brings healing and leads us to our loving Father.
Thank you for helping us to bring the love and forgiveness of Jesus to Native people. I ask you to take the time to identify the past trials, afflictions, and struggles you have experienced and use them to bring hope and comfort to others.
Father, thank you for sending the promise of the Savior, through Your Son, Jesus, to bring healing to our broken and afflicted world. I ask that You would continue to open doors for us to walk alongside our Native brothers and sisters to share the Light of the Savior. In Jesus’ name, Amen.