After your faith has been Tested, Stretched, Strengthened,
Then . . .
Comfort Others.
But don’t worry in the middle of a storm, “What do I have to do to use this for helping others ?”
Don’t worry about ‘why?’ in search of meaning for the current trouble.
Go ahead and ask ‘why?’ when you feel it, then set it on the shelf of His promises.
Answers to ‘why?’ may come later, maybe much later, but don’t miss what God is doing now (when you can’t explain it).
Try to not jump to the end of the matter, when you’ll see how God uses it for others.
If you try to verbalize and explain to others right away what God is doing, you may miss much of God’s purpose in your discomfort, in the ambiguities, in the painful times of life.
“Be still, . . .”
Accept “I don’t know.”
Accept “I don’t have a clue.”
If your personality type is achiever—figure it out, fix it yourself—remember God’s desire is to refine, remove, reshape you in ways you can’t see as long as you are ‘taking care of things’.
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
“He comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
Amen
Thanks for reading !