I received an incomprehensible phone call from my doctor—the call I had feared and dreaded.
The details of the cancerous tumor in my body reverberated in my ears as I hung up the phone. I was alone, or at least that was my perception. In my quiet, empty house, I lay across my bed and cried. As tears cascaded down my cheeks, I wailed, “Jesus, I know You are here with me, but I could really use a person right now! I want someone to hug me and pray with me.”
Within seconds, my phone rang. This time the call was from a dear friend who said, “Hi, Linda! I’m in my car in your driveway. Could I come in and pray with you?”
When I opened my front door, she enveloped me in a huge hug, then sat on my couch and prayed. Before I ever prayed my lonely, desperate prayer for comfort, God had urged my friend to comfort me.
One of the beautiful results of suffering hardship is experiencing God’s comfort. Then He teaches us how to be His hands and feet in others’ lives after He sends His comfort during our times of distress. No greater comfort comes than in knowing the God of the universe hears our prayers and wants to comfort us.
We aren’t an intrusion or nuisance when we bring comfort into another’s life—a common fear that prevents us from reaching out to others. Jesus uses us to love and comfort the hurting. Having God stir our heart to carry His comfort—the same kind He poured out on us—into a hurting person’s world is a privilege.
Ask God whom He wants you to comfort.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Linda Tagert resides in Bristol, TN, with her husband, Bert, and two of their four children. She is a retired ICU RN. Linda has enjoyed the opportunities she has had to speak to groups about her experiences as a cancer patient and share what she has learned about God’s faithfulness in difficult times. Her hope is to write a book to encourage others whose lives are touched by adversity.