I have been asked so many time how people endure and recover from the harsh realities of life. After suffering loss, people are confused and lost, even if the loss was expected. When the loss is unexpected, it can be even worse.
Christians often ask me after experiencing a loss, how anyone that does not know the LORD can cope with the accompanying grief.
Grief is a journey that no one genuinely wants to undertake. And yet each of us at some time will experience it. I have walked my own grief journeys, and I have walked with others through theirs.
As I face grief, or see others beginning their own grief journey, I am reminded of what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians.
“Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” [2 Corinthians 1:3-4 HCSB]
Paul identifies our God with two titles. He is the Father of Mercies. And He is also The God of All Comfort. All Comfort!
All comfort comes from Him, whether it is received by Christians or by those who are not. In loss, He alone sustains people, even when they are not aware of that.
Right now, people I love are beginning a grief journey. I pray the God of All Comfort meets them, sustains them, guides them by the power of His Spirit through their journeys. I pray that they are aware of His comfort. I pray I am able to comfort them with the comfort I have often received from my LORD.
