Provided here for you is a collection of Scriptures about God’s comfort sprinkled with meaningful words from Elisabeth Elliot. Who was Elisabeth Elliot? Elisabeth was a Christian author and speaker (1926-2015) who knew what suffering was in a real and intimate way. However, it was in the midst of great hardship that God’s grace sustained and comforted her immensely. Elisabeth knew the deep comfort of God’s love and therefore wanted to share it with others! It’s my genuine prayer that these Bible verses strengthen your hearts and minds just as they had encouraged Elisabeth Elliot’s!
Love, Meridith

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “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 affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

…the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction…

2 Cor 1:3-4

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

God is our refuge, our strength, and a very present help in trouble.

PSALM 46:10

Psalm 23:4  “Even 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.”

Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”

I will be with you

Isa 43:2

Psalm 40:1-2 “I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.”

Hebrews 13:5-6 He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear;

Heb 13:5-6

1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.”

Romans 5:3-5 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

1 Peter 1:6-7 “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Psalm 18:30 “This God—His way is perfect;
the word of the Lordproves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.

Psalms‬ ‭13:3, 5-6‬ “Consider me and answer, Lord my God. Restore brightness to my eyes;…But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously.”

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Matt 5:4

Genesis‬ ‭41:52‬ ‭“The name of the second he called Ephraim, ‘For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.’” (John 15:5; 1 Cor 1:30; 2 Cor 12:9)

2 Corinthians 4:17 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…”

Matthew 11:28-30  “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

I will give you rest. – Jesus

Matthew 11:28

Psalm 119:76 “Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to Your servant.”

Psalm 119:50 “This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your promise gives me life.”

Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

His Faithfulness is a shield

Psalm 91

Psalm 91:1-16  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,”

Matthew 5:1-48  “Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down,Hhis disciples came to him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord;…let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

John 16:22 “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

The Peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus

Phi 4:6-7

Philippians 4:6-7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

Psalm 16:1-2 “Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.”

God, in You I take refuge.

Psalm 16

Psalm 16:5-6 “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”

Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Psalm 126:5 “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!”

Nehemiah 8:11 “…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

His joy will be your strength

Neh 8:11

Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Matthew 28:30 “And behold, I am (Jesus) with you always, to the end of the age.”

Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

The Lord saves the crushed in spirit

Psalm 34:18

Matthew‬ ‭5:3-4‬ ‭“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Habakkuk 3:17-19 “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer’s; He makes me tread on my high places.”

The Lord is my strength

Hab 3:18-19

Psalm 23:1-6 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

Isaiah 53:3-4 “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;”

He has borne (taken upon Himself) our griefs and carried our sorrows;

Isa 53

Romans 8:35,37-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Nothing can separate us from God’s Love

Romans 8

Romans‬ ‭8:24-25 “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”‬

Isaiah 66:13 “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

Hebrews 12:2-3 “…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

But take heart; I have overcome the world. – Jesus

John 16:33

Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Psalm 55:22 “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you…”

Isaiah 40:29-31 “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.

Nahum 1:7

Job 5:11 “He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.”

Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

By the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Rom 15:13

Psalm 27:1  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Isaiah 51:3 “For the Lord comforts Zion; He comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.”

John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

Psalm 116:1-2 “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

2 Corinthians 1:4-7  “Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.”

…so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 CoR 1

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Christ in you

Gal 2:20

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

2 Corinthians 1:5 “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.”

…we share abundantly in Christ’s suffering, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

2 Cor 1:5

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Isaiah‬ ‭46:4 “even to your old age I am He, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”

Isaiah 40:31 “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

The Lord shall renew their strength

Isa 40:31

Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places…”

Ephesians 6:16-18 “Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

Hebrews 6:18-19 “…so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,”

Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”

Pour out your heart before Him…

Psalm 62:8

Matthew 6:8 “…for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

2 Corinthians 1:11 “You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”

Romans 8:26-28 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

God works all things together for good…

Rom 8

Romans 15:30 “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,”

1 Kings 19:5-8 “And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

…God is the strength of my heart

Psalm 73:26

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Lamentations 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

2 Timothy 2:13 “if we are faithless, He remains faithful— for He cannot deny Himself.”

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The Lord is with you wherever you go.

Josh 1:9

Deuteronomy 31:8 “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”

Psalm 27:4-5 “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.”

Hebrews‬ ‭12:11‬ ‭ “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

He will restore and strengthen you

1 Peter 5:10

Psalm 13:3 “Consider me and answer, Lord my God. Restore brightness to my eyes…
‭‭
1 Peter 5:10 “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

1 Chronicles 16:11 “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”

We are more than conquerors through Him

Romans 8

Romans 8:37-39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing…”

Philemon‬ ‭1:7‬ “For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.”

John 14:26-27 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

My Peace I give to you.

John 14

Romans 14:8 “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”

Lamentations 3:31-32 For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

Romans 8:1-4 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Psalm‬ ‭34:17-19, 22 “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all…The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”

Romans 12:12-16 “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.”

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep…

Romans 12:15

1 Peter 5:10 “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

Psalm 56:8 “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?”

2 Corinthians 7:6 “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus…”

2 Timothy 1:7 “…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Isaiah 40:11-13 “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows Him his counsel?”

He will carries you in His bosom (next to His heart)…

Isa 40

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Psalm 31:7 “I will rejoice and be glad in Your steadfast love, because You have seen my affliction; You have known the distress of my soul,”

1 Thessalonians 4:13  “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.”

Philippians 2:1-30 “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

…for we walk by faith, not by sight

1 Cor 5

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17  “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.”

James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify Him.” ♡︎

1 Kings 19:3-9 “Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” …

1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,”

John 1:29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

1 Peter 5:7  “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Because He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

2 Peter 3:13 “But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”

1 Corinthians 2:9  “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—

Deuteronomy 3:22 “You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.’”

The Lord fights for you

Deu 3:22

John 3:16-17  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

Psalm 30:5 “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Luke 22:42 and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”

2 Corinthians‬ ‭7:13‬ “Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.”

Daniel 3:17-18 “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Colossians 3:2-4 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

Jesus is your life

Acts 17:28

Acts 17:28 “‘In Him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed His offspring.’

Psalm 121: 1-2 “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 46:1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”

Jeremiah 32:17 ‘Ah, Lord God! It is You who have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for You.”

2 Corinthians 12:9  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

My Grace is sufficient FOR you…

2 Cor 12:9

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭139:1-15, 17-18‬ ‭“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”

Psalm 139:5-6 “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.”

psalm 139:7 “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”

You will lead me…

Psalm 139:7

Psalm 139:13-15 “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth…”

Psalm 139:17 “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.”

Psalm‬ ‭109:21-22 “But you, O God my Lord, deal on my behalf for Your name’s sake; because Your steadfast Love is good, deliver me! For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.

Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Genesis‬ ‭41:52‬ ‭“The name of the second he called Ephraim, ‘For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.’” (John 15:5; 1 Cor 1:30; 2 Cor 12:9)

God has made me fruitful

Genesis 41:52

Luke 15:20 “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”

Elisabeth Elliot’s, “Suffering is Never for Nothing:”

An excerpt:

There was nothing unusual about gunshots in that particular clearing of the jungle. We were surrounded by Indians who hunted with guns that they had bought from the white man. And there were white people also in that clearing who hunted as well. So we often heard gunshots.

But these particular gunshots were followed by yelling and screaming and horses galloping and people running and general pandemonium. So I rushed outside to hear that my friend, Macadao, had just been murdered.

I was faced, for the first time in my personal experience, with that awful why. Like Job, I didn’t doubt for a second that God was up there, that God knew what He was doing. But I couldn’t imagine what He could possibly have in mind. And God’s answer to my why was “Trust Me.” No explanations. Just, trust Me. That was the message.

Now if I had had a faith that was determined God had to give me a particular kind of answer to my particular prayers, that faith would have disintegrated. But my faith had to be founded on the character of God Himself. And so, what looked like a contradiction in terms: God loves me; God lets this awful thing happen to me. What looked like a contradiction in terms, I had to leave in God’s hands and say okay, Lord. I don’t understand it. I don’t like it. But I only had two choices. He is either God or He’s not. I am either held in the Everlasting Arms or I’m at the mercy of chance and I have to trust Him or deny Him. Is there any middle ground? I don’t think so.

I thought of Daniel in the lion’s den. I remember the picture that we had on our wall at home, a painting. When I was a child I often gazed at that painting. And Daniel is standing in the den of lions. There’s a light on his face and he stands very tall and straight with his hands behind his back. And just very faintly in the dark you can see these glowing eyes of the hungry lions.

And I realized that the painting is telling me that here’s a man whose faith rests in the character of God. Now of course, I wouldn’t have put it in those terms as a child. But that picture spoke volumes to me. God was there in the pit. He was not making it unnecessary for Daniel to go into the pit anymore than it was unnecessary for Joseph to go into that pit where his jealous brothers threw him or to be put into prison, as were Paul and Silas and Peter and many other people in Scripture, even John the Baptist who got his head chopped off.

It was necessary for Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego to go into the fiery furnace because God had a message not just for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego but also, you remember, for the king. He said “has your God, whom you serve, been able to deliver you?” And you remember his challenge before he threw them into the furnace, “Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” (Dan. 3:15 kjv). And, then come those ringing words of faith, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Dan. 3:17–18 kjv).

But if not . . .And that is the lesson that has to come to all of us in some point in our lives. Every one of us, I’m sure, sooner or later, has to face up to that painful question. Why? And God is saying, trust Me. If your prayers don’t get answered the way you thought they were supposed to be, what happens to your faith? The world says God doesn’t love you. The Scriptures tell me something very different. God comes to you and me in our sorrow. And He says, “Trust Me.” “Walk with Me. -E.E.

The Comfort of Jesus

The Comfort of the Gospel