Darkness Can Lead To Comfort And Glory

Darkness Can Lead to Comfort and Glory

The more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:5

Why does life have to be so hard? We may never know the answer to the question, but we do know that when people hurt—really hurt—the world pays attention. Maybe it’s part of being human. We fear that hard stuff will come to us next. We watch to see how others cope so we can prepare.

We read in Rules of a Godly Life, “Beware especially of an uncontented and rebellious spirit. Actually it is through the will and grace of God that you suffer and are troubled. God has blessed you with unnumbered gifts to supply your needs, and likewise for your own good has meted out trouble and pain that you may remain humble. In the midst of trouble remember that you through your sinfulness deserve much greater punishment.”

Life is never “fair,” but true fairness means we would have to pay for our own sins. God’s supply not only covers our needs during hard times but also comforts us through Christ, who faced great suffering.

Romans 8:17 says, “Since we are [God’s] children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.” Some time ago, friends of mine lost their son. The situation they were thrust into was a dark one, but light shines brightest in darkness. God is holding them up. Even though they will not hold their son again on earth, they can look forward to sharing God’s eternity together and the glory of Christ.

All of us will face heartache in this world, but if we belong to Jesus, we can look forward to sharing His glory in eternity. Turning to Jesus gives us grace, peace, and comfort in the present. It also gives us a future more wonderful than we can imagine.

When darkness comes, there’s only one place to turn: Jesus. Sweet Jesus.

Dear heavenly Father, I thank You for being the God of all comfort. May I always turn to You first when dark days come.