Archive for February 16th, 2009
Comforted
In my Heartlight.org post today, Comfort in the Season of Mourning, I shared thoughts on 2 Corinthians 1:3-4:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
How have you experienced this principle, “we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” in your life?
Were you on the receiving or sharing end of this comfort giving?
How did this bless your life?
Why do we feel that we must defend God when people who have suffered great loss?
In the book of Job, when Job’s life crashes in, sever “comforters” join him in the dust and sit in silence to share his grief. Then, after 7 days of mourning with him in silence, they open their mouths and their comfort turns into an unintended attack on Job because they feel like they have to explain why all this happened to Job.
Why do you think so many people say simplistic and unintended hurtful things to those in grief?
Why do we feel that we must defend God when people who have suffered great loss?
How is sitting and sharing people’s grief in silence better than opening our mouths?
What should we say to comfort people in their grief?
Why do we wait to DO something to help those in grief when we could go buy them groceries, wash their car, mow their lawn, baby sit their children?
If you have suffered deep loss, how did God comfort you and how did He use other people to bless you?