Resonance

Category: Comfort

  • The Mystery of Comfort

    All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
    2 Corinthians 1:3‭-‬4 NLT

    Comforted to Comfort

    When you look at the world, what do you see? Through the eyes of righteousness, it’s an evil world. Remember when Jesus looked at the crowd with compassion in Matthew 9:36? Do you know why? They were helpless. When I see the world, I see pain. Go to town and look around. You will see suffering. Underneath all the anger and harsh talk is frustration and misery. The world is in dire need of comfort.

    Here is a mystery; we are Comforted to Comfort. The more we comfort, the more the comfort multiplies. As agents of comfort, we don’t lose our comfort when we comfort others. There’s enough comfort for everyone. Comfort is one of the ways the church can save the lost for Christ. Christ Himself cried out, “Come to me all who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

    You cannot give what you don’t have. If you are not comforted, how will you comfort? Comfort is not the absence of troubles. Comfort is the presence of calmness at the battlefront and hope in the middle of the storm. It’s a transcending understanding that allows you to comfort someone while you sail go through your own sufferings.

    How do we find comfort in order to comfort?

    Access to Comfort

    For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.
    2 Corinthians 1:5 NLT

    Whenever we go through afflictions as God’s children, our first instinct is to question God. “God, why me?”. “God, I’ve been faithful to you”. We make it feel like God has been such a huge letdown. He has disappointed the one person who has been faithful to Him for so long; you. How funny! He is God all by Himself and does not need to explain everything we have to suffer. Simply trust in His Fatherhood.

    What we do not realise in all our circumstances is this; the more we suffer the more He showers us with blessings of comfort. Do you see how grace increases as sin increases? Do you see how blessings increase when praise increases? This is the mystery. This is called the Law of Exponential Increase. As suffering increases, so does the shower of Comfort increase. It’s not about what you go through; it’s about your capacity to endure. With this understanding, it means we are capable of enduring anything the Lord makes us go through.

    God has not disappointed you amid your great suffering. He has not forsaken you. He has actually made a great provision. Instead of being offended, be reminded. He hasn’t deserted you. He is not far away from you. He hasn’t left you to suffer. If He wasn’t with you, do you think you could have gone through what you went through? Eventually, you realize He never failed you. Psalm 34:18 says he is rather closer to the brokenhearted. Instead of questioning Him as you suffer, why don’t you open up your heart to receive His comfort?

    Hope Over Anxiety

    And when I was burdened with worries, you comforted me and made me feel secure.
    Psalms 94:19 CEV

    Yes, this world is unfair and “unfair” is an understatement. Yes the wicked succeed, the righteous suffer, the rich steal from the poor, and evil still persists. Yes, everything looks chaotic. Oh yes, your head aches whenever you think in that direction. You don’t even know what to do with your life anymore? You’re not alone. What you have lost is hope. Once you receive God’s comfort, your threshold to endure anything that comes your way increases.

    Edification, Exhortation & Comfort : God’s Architecture of Grace



    Realize the importance of hope. There’s a reason why hope made it to the finals (hope, faith and love in 1 Corinthians 13:13). Whenever there’s invisible burdens and anxieties, it’s simply the absence of hope. If there’s no hope that your hard work will pay off, why the need for hard work, etc? As aforementioned, the unrealized prescription to this dilemma is COMFORT. The NLT version of the verse says, “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Let God comfort you. Let Him teach you that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us.

    You really need Comfort so go to God, the source of all comfort, your Allos Parakletos ❣️Pray a simple sincere prayer; Holy Spirit, comfort my soul.

  • Edification, Exhortation & Comfort : God’s Architecture of Grace

    We all get tired. Even the strongest believers sometimes feel drained. Some feel stuck. Others begin to gradually lose interest and give up. Many get sick and tired of being tired and sick. Even leaders and pastors who spend their lives strengthening others can often find themselves empty. God, in His wisdom, has built a spiritual system to keep His people from collapsing in the vicissitudes of life. He designed a divine rhythm for the soul; edification, exhortation, and comfort. It is God’s healing system for the whole person (spirit, soul, and body) and the whole Body. It is how He keeps His family standing, growing, and enduring until the end. Next week, we will talk about the Mystery of Encouragement but for now, let’s establish the doctrinal side of it.

    Edification: Increasing Our Capacity

    The word edify comes from the Greek oikodomeō which means to build up. It is the act of strengthening, forming, and maturing until a life becomes stable. Spiritually, edification is God’s way of stretching our capacity to carry His life. When you are edified, something within you expands. Your faith deepens, your understanding widens, and your endurance strengthens. You become more capable of carrying divine weight.

    “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up.” (Acts 20:32)

    God builds us through teaching, truth, and time. Like a master builder laying one stone after another, He establishes your inner man until you can contain more of His strength, more of His wisdom, and more of His people. We do not grow by accident. We grow because the Spirit keeps laying stone upon stone, truth upon truth, grace upon grace. Edification is how God turns the fragile into giants.

    Exhortation: Increasing Our Expectation

    Once you have been built up, you must be stirred up. Exhortation comes from the Greek paraklēsis which means to call near, to urge, to appeal. It is the voice from Heaven that says, “Do not give up. Lift your eyes again.”Sometimes you know the truth, but you no longer expect it to happen. You are built up but not stirred up. That is when the Spirit exhorts. He calls you near, speaks courage into your heart, and rekindles anticipation for what God will yet do.

    “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works… exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24–25)


    Exhortation raises your expectation. It awakens the dormant parts of your faith. It moves you from “I know” to “I believe again.” Through a message, a friend, or the quiet whisper of the Holy Spirit, God exhorts His children to rise. The fire may be small, but exhortation breathes upon it until it burns bright again.

    Comfort: Increasing Our Threshold

    Comfort is not about removing pain. It is about raising the threshold to endure it. Comfort comes from paramuthia, meaning to speak closely, to console, to strengthen. It is the tender voice of God in the midst of trial.

    “Blessed be God, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation.” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4)

    When life feels unbearable, the Comforter sits beside you. He does not scold you for weeping. He stays with you through it. Comfort increases your threshold, your ability to face tomorrow without collapsing today. The comfort of God is not sentimental. It is strengthening. It restores your equilibrium, renews your peace, and brings sanity back to your soul. Comfort does not make life easier. It makes you stronger.

    God’s System for the Prosperity of your Soul

    This threefold process of edification, exhortation, and comfort is God’s divine therapy for the believer. It is how He balances spiritual maturity with emotional wellbeing. It is how He keeps your spirit sharp, your faith alive, and your heart tender. Built up, stirred up, and held up. That is the full rhythm of what I call God’s architecture of Grace.

    God never intended anyone to walk alone. From Eden to the early Church, His answer to human needs has always been another person. He builds through teaching and discipleship. He stirs through encouragement and prophecy. He heals through companionship and compassion.

    > “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17)
    “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

    When you isolate yourself, you disconnect from this system. Isolation dries the soul. Even pastors need edification. Even prophets need exhortation. Even apostles need comfort. God’s love often comes disguised as a friend who refuses to give up on you, a mentor who speaks correction where you don’t see one, or a circle of friends who simply sits with you in silence. His help usually comes with a human face. A true Word from God will always carry this triadic essence. It will build, stir, and heal. When you stay in fellowship, you stay within God’s healing cycle. The Church is not a club of perfect people but a living organism through which grace circulates. Each believer is both a receiver and a dispenser of Grace.

    “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

    You are God’s instrument of renewal to someone else. Your word, your prayer, your listening ear may be Heaven’s hand to a weary soul. And in your own day of need, that same grace will return to you through others.

    God’s Architecture of Grace

    Edification increases your capacity to grow. Exhortation raises your expectation to believe. Comfort strengthens your threshold to endure. Together, they form the architecture of grace, the system by which the Spirit constructs, energises, and heals His people. When God builds you, He does not only strengthen your spirit. He heals your mind, renews your emotions, and strengthens your endurance. We are built to last, established to be immovable and in a system that will preserve until you finish your race.

    So when you feel weary, do not withdraw. Do not hide your pain. You may be tired, but you are not alone. The same Spirit that builds, stirs, and comforts is reaching for you still to help you stand until the end.

  • The Mystery of Comfort: Thy Rod & Thy Staff

    Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
    Psalms 23:4 NKJV

    This world is unfair and “unfair” is an understatement. The wicked succeed, the righteous suffer, the rich steal from the poor, and evil still persists. Everything looks chaotic. Your head aches whenever you think in that direction. You don’t even know what to do with your life anymore.

    You are not alone. Almost everyone has reached that stage before. You may even be there right now. In fact, you’ve been there all your life and it’s starting to feel permanent. However, realise the importance of hope. There’s a reason why hope made it to the finals (hope, faith and love in 1 Corinthians 13:13). Whenever there’s invisible burdens and anxieties, it’s simply the absence of hope. If there’s no hope that your hard work will pay off, why the need for hard work, etc?


    As aforementioned, the unrealized prescription to this dilemma is COMFORT. The NLT version of the verse says, “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Let God comfort you. Let Him teach you that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us.

    You really need Comfort so go to God, the source of all comfort as 2 Corinthians 1:3 says.

    And when I was burdened with worries, you comforted me and made me feel secure.

    Psalms 94:19 CEV

    Sometimes, life becomes overwhelming. We begin to worry about life’s decisions. It’s not a lack of information we may even be suffering from. We may know all of God’s promises but we are still worried if we are making the best decisions for our lives. You may think you need more money to solve all your problems but all the problems of another man are as a result of their money. What you may lack is Comfort. I know you are in a very rough storm but there is a man in your boat whose Words the winds and the sea obey.



    David said, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me. Thy rod and their staff, they COMFORT me”. Have you cared to find out what David ever meant? The rod is, of course, an instrument of authority and correction. The staff, on the other hand, is an instrument of compassion.

    The staff guides the sheep along a dangerous, unfamiliar, difficult path. The shepherd presses the staff against the side of the sheep and guides it, assuring the animal of its proper path because some sheep will never tread an unfamiliar route. The rod protects you from wild prey. The staff is also used to guide a newborn to its mother when they are separated. Be it correction or guidance, these are spiritual instruments of Comfort.

    So it’s Comfort you needed all along. Your comfort zone is the secret place of the Most High. His promises are sure. Trust His Word and you will be calm in the midst of calamity.

  • It Is Okay To Not Be Okay

    It Is Okay To Not Be Okay

    Lecrae’s song with Kari Jobe “Broken” starts with the verse, “we’re all broken”. It’s true. When you lost that loved one; when your closest friend walked away; when you were insulted or assaulted for no reason; when you were harshly spoken against by family; when you failed that test and your problems piled up, you were probably broken. Right now, as you read this you’re probably down.

    A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. Proverbs 15:13 KJV

    But that is not the end of the story. Winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win. What you must know for sure is that life throws new problems at us while we are still working on the old ones. That’s how come we are like, ” why me?”, “why this particular time?”. The reality is that problems are the human definition of an opportunity to grow. Comfort zone is a beautiful place but nothing grows there. Challenges spice up life and make you discover something already in you that you never knew of.

    Sometimes it’s okay to cry. “Blessed are those who weep, for they shall be comforted.” If you don’t weep, how can you be comforted? There’s no point in appearing strong on the outside when you’re broken on the inside. It will make things worse in the near future. “God is closer to the brokenhearted”. The Holy Spirit is your Comforter. He will restore your soul. Cry on His Shoulders.

    Cry on Him ❤

  • How To Comfort A Friend

    How To Comfort A Friend

    “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

    Our brain has the capacity to store whatever information we receive, whether it is needful or not. But as time goes on, the brain empties its short-term memory. Also, if what’s stored in the long-term memory – be it your birthday 4 years ago or what you ate for breakfast 21 days ago – is not revised with time, the memory decays.

    Why? Because of emotional overload.

    Every thought, word, taste, smell, scene, touch etc has an emotion attached to it. For eg. You feel sad whenever you think about the death of a loved one. However, some events happen in our lives that are so traumatic that we hit an emotional overload for a long period of time. For eg. losing someone really close to you or seeing someone get shot. These events are traumatic that it’s been scientifically proven to cause neuroplasticity. Did you get it? The victim is so overloaded that it literally changes the structure of his/her brain.

    Do you know one thing? We are all headed for such an experience. Life does not even prepare us enough for it. No matter how much you are prepared for it, it is going to shake the very foundations of your will to survive. Keep this in mind when you see it happen to someone close to you. There’s an Akan proverb that says, “when you see a vulture on someone’s head, say get away from us, not get away from the person. For if the vulture leaves the person, it is coming to you.” The vulture is pain, grief, sorrow, trauma, hurt.

    If pain in this life is inevitable, why do we pretend to be okay? Why then do we act like nothing is wrong? Why? Hmm. Maybe, here’s why. Usually, people don’t know when the other person needs advice, encouragement, upliftment or comfort. It’s frustrating when you simply need comfort and someone is trying to advise you; when you’re pouring out your heart and the other keeps interrupting you with unsolicited advice. In such a situation, it’s difficult to say the right thing, but one thing will always be the right thing to do; listen.

    Listen before you speak. Sometimes the other doesn’t need you to say anything. Don’t make it about you. No one needs to hear what happened to you 5 years ago right now. Listen to the person, not to reply but to be empathic. Also, there’s this culture of belittling people’s experiences just because they are young and “inexperienced”. If a 3-year old is pouring out to you about how frustrating school is, what are you going to do? I guessed it. Downplay it. As if to say the child’s reaction to those experiences are invalid.

    If someone says they’ve lost their mother, it’s stupid to compare it to your experience of losing your dog. It’s insensitive to think that the person should get over it because it’s bound to happen. It’s absurd to think they are young and what they are going through now is “little” as compared to what you’ve been through. Everyone’s capacity is different; everyone’s reaction to the emotional load is different. Don’t belittle someone’s traumatic experiences. You are not the one to validate someone’s pain.

    You’ve probably written a lot of exam in your life and failed some. How are you going to react to a 13-year old failing exam for the first time? Alright. Okay, how about someone who brought hurt and guilt upon themselves because of their actions? Let’s talk about that category for a second.

    Having been called to comfort those who mourn, we have learnt to weep with those who weep and be happy with those who are happy. But how do we comfort other people without denying their reality to sell false hope, and also to avoid our own emotional overload? If you are that friend who always listens to other people pour their hearts out (and we all are that friend in one situation or another), how do you comfort without siding with the person’s mistakes he/she is not willing to admit with uncompromising Compassion?

    Jesus is the character in the Bible who is said to have compassion the most. He had compassion over the two blind men in Matt 20:34, the large crowd in Matt 14:14, the four thousand men in Matt 15:32, the five thousand men in Mark 6:34 and many many more. What I found is that Jesus didn’t tell them that there is hope, Jesus was their Hope. Any time Jesus had compassion on the sick, lame, blind, broken, crushed, sad, wretched, Jesus became a channel of healing for them.

    Don’t let them dump their burdens on you; help them lay down their burdens before the Father. Don’t promise them comfort, comfort them with the comfort God comforted you. Don’t just let them know that you’ll listen – so that the two of you will be wretched? NO! – let them know that when they come to you, they are not leaving with the burden they came with.

    Don’t be a helper in carrying burdens. Be a lifter of one’s head. Learn to comfort the broken without being broken. Don’t absorb their reality, impact yours.

    I love you ❤