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“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Life is full of all sorts of tests. Maybe the word “test” makes you think of that piece of paper your teacher is going to give you sometime this week!

But not all of the tests you take this week are the kind you will be taking in school. Sometimes a test can be simply going through hard times or enduring “tribulation” or “affliction.” Perhaps a best friend moves away and you feel all alone. Or maybe you get really sick. Or maybe other people make fun of you because you are a Christian. Maybe you did not make the sports team you really wanted to be a part of. Maybe your dog ran away from home and you cannot find him anywhere.

Situations like these can make you sad, and you might even wonder why God could let them happen.

But God is sovereign (He’s in control), and He does have reasons for everything He does! Not only is God not surprised by the afflictions that hit us, but He is perfect in helping us get through them. He is perfectly loving and perfectly kind and perfectly wise. 2 Corinthians 1:3 says that God is a “God of all comfort.” That means that God is there to help you through the difficulties you face. He always says the right thing to you (through His Word). He loves you more than any human being could possibly love. If God is going to put a trial into your life, He is also the best Comforter you could ask for to help you get through that trial.

Verse 4 explains that one reason God comforts you is so that you can comfort others better. You may not understand why you are going through tough times right now, but maybe God wants to teach you mercy and wisdom. Maybe He wants to use you to help someone else someday! God comforts us so that we can share his comfort with others! From your time with the perfect Comforter, are you learning how to comfort?

God is the best possible Comforter and the best One to show us how to comfort others.

My Response:
» Is God giving me a “test” to take this week?
» What have I learned from God’s comfort to me in the past that might help me be a comforter for others one day?

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:14)

Have you ever seen a vine twisted tightly around a tree? I recently saw a big vine as I was in the woods enjoying a picnic. When I first looked at the big tree, it was difficult to tell the vine from the tree itself. But as I looked more closely, I began to see the outline of a vine that had grown higher and higher by wrapping itself tightly around the tree and growing up as the tree grew up. I went over and tried to rip the vine away from the tree, but it was no use. The vine had twisted around and bound itself into the strong trunk of the tree. That vine was not going anywhere, except where the tree was going!

The word “wait” in Psalm 27:14 has the idea of binding together by twisting. God wants us to wrap our hearts and minds around Him through His truth – just like a vine wraps itself tightly around the giant tree. God is like the firm, unmovable tree that grows high. We should be like the vine that grabs hold of God so tightly that we only go and grow in the direction He wants us going and growing!

God has given us His Word so that we might think and believe right thoughts about Him. Because of God’s grace, we can wrap ourselves tightly around God through His Word. When we think and believe rightly about God, and therefore trust Him, we wait on the LORD like it says in Psalm 27:14.

Just like Jacob refused to let the angel of the Lord go (Genesis 32:26), we should refuse to let go of any truth that God has taught us from His Word. We should never let go of the truths that God is a holy God and angered by any sin. We should never let go of the truths that God is loving, kind, and forgiving. If we let these truths go, then we would be like a vine unraveling itself from its tree. A vine that does not cling tightly to a tree will fall to the ground and begin to die.

The more tightly we wrap ourselves around God, the more strength He gives. The vine is not strong, but the tree is! When the vine embeds itself into the tree, the vine is safe, it climbs high, and it shares in the great strength of the tree. Christ invites us to do all things through Him, and He will give the strength we need. Are you clinging to Him today?

We should greatly desire to attach our hearts and minds to God through His Word.

My Response:
» Am I clinging to God through His Word, or am I loosening my grip?
» What are some Bible truths about God that I can wrap my heart and mind around today?

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

The phrase “renew their strength” in Isaiah 40:31 means that God will exchange (swap, or trade) their strength. Just like you might change the old tires on a car, or change into clean clothes after playing in the mud, God will change the strength of those that trust in Him through His Word. What kind of strength does God give? God’s Word says it is the kind that causes us to “mount up with wings as eagles.”

Did you know that eagles molt (lose or shed) their feathers as the old feathers get worn out? New feathers replace the old ones, increasing the eagle’s ability to do what it was created to do! When those new feathers grow in, the eagle has more power for flight, because its feathers are new. If the eagle did not molt its worn-out feathers and get new feathers, eventually it would not be able to fly at all.

We need God’s strength for everything! We cannot obey, we cannot love, and we cannot do truly good works without God’s strength. But the strength we had yesterday might already be used up on yesterday’s activities. So what should we do? We must go again to God and His Word today and believe what He says. We will gain (get) new strength as we believe God through His Word.

What is simply outstanding is that when the new strength you get for today has run out, there will be more to replace it. Why? Because the strength’s source is God. God never runs out, gets tired, or grows old. God is the Source of all strength, and He enjoys giving His children what they need as they trust in Him.

God always has more strength to give because He is all-powerful.

My Response:
» Am I trusting God provide everything I need so that I can do what I was created to do?
» What are some Bible promises I can think about to remind me that only God can be my Source of new strength?

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Raging waves slammed up against the body of the boat, and the worn-out sailors tried to keep it from capsizing. They had spent the whole last month traveling up the east coast of the United States, visiting different harbors on their way to Cutler, Maine. As they neared their final destination, a storm broke out, sending the ship into a furious fight for its survival.

The crew members ran back and forth from the stern to the bow of the ship, trying to secure the sails. To arrive at the harbor, the ship had to get around or between two huge rock formations that were jutting dangerously out of the water. The sailors knew the danger–these rocks could smash the whole ship into smithereens! As the sailors were about to lose hope that they could get the ship around the rocks, they looked up and saw an amazing sight. There, at the wheel, was their captain. He stood calm and looked straight ahead, as though he was not even aware that a dangerous storm raging all around them.

Confused, the crew turned around to see what what their captain was staring at. The captain was watching directly ahead, right along a bright path of light that stretched out over the waves in front of the ship. The light came from a lighthouse on the shore. For years, this lighthouse had been guiding ships through the dangerous rock formations.

When they saw the light and they saw their captain trusting the light’s guidance, the sailors understood why he could act so calm, and they felt more calm, too. As long as their captain was watching for the light and following it, he knew that he could steer his ship safely through the rocks. Soon, they would be on shore. Believing that, the captain could have peace, even in the middle of the storm! As long as he kept his eyes on that path of light from the lighthouse, things were going to be fine.

The Bible gives us many examples of men and women who experienced scary trials in their lives: Esther pleaded for her people’s lives before an unbelieving king. Gideon had to go into battle against the Midianites with only 300 men. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were sent to burn in a deadly furnace because they refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. However, each one survived and saw God’s blessings. They were able to experience peace, because they put their trust in God.

Before you shrug your shoulders and think, “Well, of course they had peace. God took care of them!” –remember that they did not know what was going to happen to them. They trusted that God would take care of them, but the Hebrew boys did not know for sure whether God would take them to heaven by dying in a fiery furnace. Esther knew she was supposed to go before the king, but she also knew that it was at the risk of death. Gideon knew God wanted him going into battle with a tiny army, but he had no idea why God chose that. Think about how scary each of those things must have been for these people! They did not know the future. They did not know whether or not it was God’s will to protect them or to let them die. But they trusted Him, no matter what. And they had peace. How could they have that kind of peace?

They could have that kind of peace because they were not looking at their own plans or at the storm going on around them. They were looking at their Guide–their all-powerful, perfect, all-knowing God. They did not know what He was going to do with them, but they knew that He was their God and that they were in His good and great hands.

Just as that ship captain had peace while looking at the lighthouse’s light, Isaiah 26:3-4 says that you can have perfect peace when your mind is fixed on the LORD. We all go through situations in life that cause us to be afraid. Just like the captain, you might be going through a “storm.” Maybe your dad has just lost his job. Maybe your mom or another family member is battling a serious illness. Maybe you’re having trouble making friends in your new school, church, or neighborhood. You might be trying to solve your “storm” in your own way, running around like the frightened sailors doing everything they could to save their ship from capsizing–but your own efforts are not working. When you keep your mind on the LORD and remember everything that He is and does, He has promised to give you peace. He does not promise physical comfort or that we will get everything we want. He does not even promise safety. But He promises never to leave us or forsake us. He promises to be the same God yesterday, today, and forever. God wants you to be still, even in the very middle of your storms, and to know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). Trust in the LORD always, for God alone can give you perfect peace (Isaiah 26:4).

Trust God alone to give you perfect peace.

My Response:
» Am I focusing my mind on the Lord?
» Am I in the middle of a “storm” that I need to trust God with?
» How can I practice the commands to “be still and know” that God is God?