We have recently had a man in our church that has brain tumor. He went to the ER one day and has not gone home since.  As soon as we found out that he would be moving hospitals, I began looking up scripture used in comforting those that mourn.  One of the first verses I came to was 2 Corinthians1:3-4, " 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 will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." When I read it I had to read it again! It's one of those verses that you know you've probably read before, but NOW it comes alive to you! Here are some thoughts about comfort. The greek word in these verses is parakaleo which means to call to ones side, to speak to, refreshment, supplication, instruction, and exhortation. The same word that is used here is also used in Matthew 5:4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted," where Jesus is teaching the Disciples and the multitudes what we know as the "Beatitudes". This same greek word is in Luke 2:25 where an old man, named Simeon came to see the Messiah who was in the flesh of a baby. It says," And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon ; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel ; and the Holy Spirit was upon him." This man was righteous and devout he had been a Jew for a long time! He knew that there was a coming Messiah and that Jesus was him. Verse 25 calls Jesus the 'consolation' of Israel. O, What a joy it must have been for Simeon to have seen the Messiah!
     In going back to 2 Corinithians and the Greek Word Parakaleo which is our word that means Comfort we have a job to do for those who need comfort. There have been times in my life that I have needed comfort and God has swiftly provided someone to come along, maybe even a child and encourage/exhort me that I may continue in the work that I was doing! I believe that through life we can find 3 different types of comfort: instructional comfort, personal comfort, and God's comfort.
       One of the definitions of the word Parakaleo was instruction. There will be times in your life where you will encounter someone that needs comfort that you have NO type of experience in. You might have seen someone go through it, but you have never, personally been through it. This type of comfort is very important because in giving comfort, words of advice you can teach what you know from the Bible as Truth so that they will have that foundation to come back to. For example, let's say that you have a friend who is considering a divorce, but you have never personally been in this situation.  As a friend, it is your job to encourage your friend to do as the Bbile says, and if she/he doesn't know then it is your job to give Instructional comfort to them so that they might make a Godly decision. Since comfort means to instruct, you are Biblically fulfilling God's will in that situation.
      Next, we have Personal comfort, this comes from personal experience. When someone you know is going through a similiar situation and you can reach out your hand and say, 'I've been there' , that often means so much to that person. We have church members who have been in the similar situation as the family I mentioned is going through with this brain cancer. It wasn't the same kind of cancer, but they have BEEN there, and they made it through with the Lord's help. This type of comfort is just beautiful in my eyes, and I believe in the Lord's eyes because he says that there is no temptation that we will go through that he has not already been through! Imagine yourself in an AA, NA meeting. You have been addicted to drugs or alcohol. Some of the best testimonies for you to hear are those who have been there, and come out! Take this one seriously. If you see someone in a similiar situation don't just turn away from them when you have the key to help unlock the door of understanding. It might be something small such as dealing with 3 kids under 3; it might be something as big as losing a spouse. Whatever it is, take the time to reach out and care.
    Lastly, we have Godly comfort. This is of couse the best kind you can get! The next verse of 2 Corinthians 1, where we started is this;  "For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ." The pain and agony Jesus Christ suffered on the cross is unimaginable to me! I cannot imagine being so alone, and my Father having to turn his face. Jesus saw a great purpose behind the pain. He saw a person- you, and me behind all the shame! No matter what we are going through our pain and suffering can never compare to Jesus' on the cross. Just like Jesus we can look through the pain, the shame, and see the GAIN at the end of it all. In verse 5, it says that our comfort is abundant in Christ! Not that our pain is abundant in Christ, not that our embarassment is abundant  in Christ, but our COMFORT is abundant. It reminds me of Ephesians 3:20, which says," Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to HIM be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen"

Have a Blessed Day!
Jamie