In difficult times, we often think that God’s comfort should eliminate our difficulties. We can easily seek God merely to escape suffering rather than out of genuine affection for Him. 

One of the reasons God allows us to suffer is to provide us with direct, personal comfort, which they can then use to extend God's comfort to others. His comfort is so profoundly impacting that it does not stop with the recipient. 

It's important to realize that comfort can also come as strength, encouragement, and hope provided by God and those around us. The greater our suffering for Christ’s sake, the more comfort we receive from God. 

If you find yourself burdened by mockery, rejection, or mistreatment for your faith in Christ, let God provide you with comfort. The hardships you face can equip you to offer solace to others experiencing similar struggles. 

We all share in suffering at some point in our lives, but God turns suffering into opportunity to bless us with His loving presence, His comfort, and His compassion. 

This gift of His compassion is meant to be continued through us to others, “so that we can comfort others with the comfort we ourselves received from God.” 

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for making Your comfort available to me in all my trials. I confess that I have often failed to look to You and instead looked to myself, to others, to money, to food, to drink, and to drugs. Forgive me for looking to empty things for comfort. Help me to be more disciplined in looking to You for comfort in trials so that I can be more useful extending Your hope and comfort to others through my testimony, through prayer, and through Your Word. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. 

Sources of affliction vary. Psalm 107 describes people who wandered off the path and got in trouble, some who suffered because of their rebellion against God, some who suffered because of their sinful choices, and some who just suffered from natural disasters. Wherever you are in your journey to Jesus, be encouraged that the Bible says about all of these people that they cried out to YHWH in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. Even if your afflictions came from your own choices, cry out to Jesus today! If you have experienced God’s help and comfort, look for opportunity to testify to others of the comfort available to them.