Comforted By The Comforter
Healing Trauma Spiritually
“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 tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3–4
This morning as I continue my worship by writing about my spiritual healing journey through trauma, I have been meditating on this verse in 2 Corinthians. Over the years, this verse has given me hope and a purpose for my suffering. This passage is packed with truth that we need to get our arms around. I want to take a few minutes to share what the Lord taught me by meditating on these verses.
The first thing that jumped out to me in these verses is that God is the “Father of mercies.” That means He is the originator of mercies. He created mercy. Mercy is not giving us what we deserve. There are many times in our lives when justice demands a steep payment for what we’ve done, but instead, God gives us mercy by not exacting the full punishment on us.
We might be able to better relate to this through an analogy of standing before a judge for excessive speeding. He has the right to exact a severe penalty on you, like taking away your license, harsh fines, etc. You know you broke the law. You don’t have a leg to stand on, but you appeal for mercy from the judge because, without your license, you wouldn’t be able to get to work, pick your kids up, etc. Seeing that this is the only offense on your record, the judge shows you leniency in his judgment and only sentences you to pay a fine but does not take away your license. That is mercy.
The second thing that jumps out at me is that He is the God of ALL comfort. There is no comfort outside of what He provides, even for those that don’t know Him. In the Greek, the word comfort is “paraklesis,” which means a calling to one’s side. This is not saying that we will not suffer; it is saying that when we suffer, He will be at our side. He will comfort and console us through our suffering.
Let me poke at this one a little from a trauma perspective. As trauma survivors, many times, the last thing we want to do when we are hurting is to let people come close to us. I can’t speak for everyone else, but in my experience, it is because I have a wound that I am trying to hide/protect. Here is the truth that took me a long time to learn…He can’t comfort you if you don’t let Him get close to you.
The third thing that jumps out to me is that He comforts and consoles us in ALL our tribulations. There is not one tribulation where He does not comfort and console us. When I started on this healing journey, I had many memories where I felt very alone. That is NOT true. The enemy of our souls wants us to believe that, but it is NOT true. When we suffer, as in trauma, our focus narrows to the specific thing causing us pain. That is all we are focused on. We can’t see anything else around us, including God, but He is there nonetheless. As I started processing the painful memories of my past through EMDR, I was able to pan out on the scene of my suffering to see the Lord’s presence. Seeing Him there…with me…was so healing to me. His presence was comforting to me because He never left me to handle that alone.
I equate it to taking my children to the doctors when they were babies to get their shots. I believed that getting those immunizations was in their best interest (if you don’t believe that, there is no judgment), so I didn’t “save” them from the suffering/pain of the injection, but I was with them when they got it. I picked them up in my arms and comforted them afterward…and that’s what Jesus does for us. He doesn’t keep us from suffering because He uses it, in our best interest, to mold us and make us more like Him.
I cannot count the number of times I have asked the Lord, “if you love me, why did you allow me to suffer?” I hear it all the time from those who’ve suffered, especially those who suffered as innocent children. He doesn’t allow you to suffer because you violated some commandment, did something wrong, or because He doesn’t love you. He allows suffering to help us grow and to know His comfort so that we can comfort others.
I have clung to this last part of this passage like Jacob clung to the Angel he wrestled with because it provided me a purpose for my pain. I say this in my blogs all the time…YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You aren’t. There is so much suffering in this world. There are so many hurting people, and those of us who are a little further down the healing path have an incredible opportunity to come alongside and be a “paraklete” (one who comes alongside to comfort) others during their suffering.
This is the greatest privilege for me…to be able to give you what He has given me…comfort during suffering. So, from my heart to yours, I humbly ask you to allow me to come alongside you in your healing journey and to comfort your hurting soul.
You don’t have to do this alone. I am here for you…and so is He. If you want to work with me, you can schedule your complimentary discovery session by clicking here. You’ve got this! I believe in you.
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