"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 will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.."
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Comfort.
That word can have many different meanings and conjure up many different pictures. You may imagine a soft and cozy blanket, curled up next to a fire. You may imagine some food. We all think of comfort differently. When you think about your affliction, your suffering for Christ, what do you see as the comfort for that situation, that grief, that pain, or even as the help through this fast? Do you see God as the Comforter through your hunger? Do you call out to Him in the midst of the temptation? It is easy to forget that Christ suffers with us. That what we are going through during this time of fasting and prayer is just a small portion of what He went through before us. In a similar way, we are being shaped and molded through this fast, to encourage and comfort those around us. Those whom we have been given the authority of influence over. This may be a years-long process, learning from the Comforter how to be a comfort. But if you are faithful through it, not only will you learn more deeply about the Comforter Jesus is, but you can learn to activate and even personify that attribute of His character to bless others. Dig in, my friends. The longest stretch is behind us, but the power of the Living God lays before us to complete the work we set out in Christ to do. Amen!
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