The God Of All Comfort

One morning I got up very early to go sit out on our patio.  All was quiet except for a few birds chirping.  My phone was inside and my husband still sound asleep in bed.  I treasured my time that morning as I prayed, read my Bible and wrote in my journal.

When I finally made myself walk back inside, I heard my phone ping with an Instant Message.  Part of me wanted to avoid it and stay in my blissful state of peace and quiet, but that’s not our world now, is it?  So I took a look.

It turned out to be a short devotional from a sweet brother in Africa, and was based on Ephesians 1:3:  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” [emphasis mine.]

You know how sometimes certain verses will just knock you on the side of your head – almost like they’re saying, “pay attention?”  Well this was one of those moments.

The devotional talked about how most of us live our lives in variance with that verse.  We’re not living lives that show us as blessed by our Father.  Why?  Because either we’re failing to really believe what we’re reading in the Bible, or we’re failing to take the right response to what God is trying to tell us through study of His Word.

Years ago when I was a new Christian I thought when God opened a door, He would just push me gently through when He wanted me to do something.  And, sometimes He does.  However usually He’ll open the door, but then it’s up to us to walk through.  Many times He’s waiting for our faith response.

I used to listen to the late Chuck Smith on the radio every morning on my drive to work.  One day his message was about complete and total trust in God, and he said whenever he’s invited to speaking engagements, he never accepts money from them.  His words:  “If God guides, He’ll provide.”

And after traveling all over the world, he added:  “And He always has.”

Pastor Smith stepped through God’s open doors, not being sure exactly how everything was going to work out.  And God blessed him continually “with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” He stated things always worked out – funds came through each and every time.  And his ministry grew powerfully as he continued to trust in God each day.

Not too long ago we needed a plumber, and a friend recommended someone he had used in the past.  When the plumber finished his work at our house instead of giving us a bill, he handed my husband Gary a note saying that plumbing is what he does for his ministry.  He stated he does not charge for his services, but instead allows people to pay what they want.  Of course that raises many eyebrows, but it allows him a doorway into people’s hearts, and he offers to pray for people, and then he invites them to his church.

And he has done well.  I think he would fully agree that God has blessed him “with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  He’s doing what he’s called to do, trusting God with each open door that he steps through.  My husband was very impacted by that man’s words that day.

It’s tough thinking about the future sometimes, isn’t it?  Time seems to whiz by so fast – and often we have a hard time catching our breath.  I find myself getting stressed at times when I think about retirement being not too far away.  We don’t nearly have what all the “financial experts” recommend we should have saved – we just haven’t been able to because of circumstances with our son.

But that’s why we must continually “walk by faith, not by sight” as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:7.  Because when we do so, it is pleasing to our Father, and he will bless us “with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

Remember:  Our God does not lie – ever!