by Matthew W. Bassford<\/p>\n
There are all too many people who want to hold God to promises He’s never made. They get sick, and they blame Him for not keeping them healthy. They run into financial hardship, and they grumble because He hasn’t helped them prosper. They’re single and unhappy, and they claim it’s His fault that they aren’t married.<\/p>\n
The problem is that God never has promised Christians that they would be healthy and rich and have great family lives. We might have set our hearts on these things, but that’s a sure sign that we are seeking treasure on earth, not in heaven. The God who unfailingly grants them is the God of our own imaginations, not the God of the Bible.<\/p>\n
However, God has made us some astounding promises, and one of them appears in II Corinthians 1:3-7. He does not promise to shield us from suffering. Indeed, the structure of the passage implies that the godly can expect to suffer. Nonetheless, in the midst of that suffering, God will bestow His comfort.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/comfort-300x200.jpg\")
As do all Christians who have sought the Lord through trial, I’ve experienced God’s faithfulness to His promise. It is true in my current distress, and it was true 13 years ago when my daughter was unexpectedly stillborn at full term. Lauren and I suffered. Indeed, we suffered greatly.<\/p>\n
Our suffering, though, did not overwhelm us. We did not commit suicide. We did not get divorced. We did not become alcoholics or drug addicts. We avoided the double disasters that befall parents who lose children.<\/p>\nThis is not to our credit, except to the extent that we chose to lean on the Lord and His people. Instead, it was due to the brethren both far and near who cared for us in our grief. They came to the funeral (some traveled hundreds or thousands of miles), they brought food, they visited, they sent cards, they sent money, and they prayed. It was due also to the God who worked through them and in ways beyond my understanding. We mourned (and still mourn), but we were (and are) comforted.
\nHowever, Paul points out that this blessing carries an obligation with it too. We are supposed to take the comfort that God showers on us and use it to comfort others. Lauren and I certainly were on the receiving end of this. Some of the most memorable, helpful conversations we had during that dark time were with Christians who also had lost children.\n
Ever since, we have tried to pay it forward. Most Christians are at a loss about how to deal with others whose children have died. We aren’t. That’s a familiar country to us. When we hear of someone in that position, we try to reach out. We call. We write. We attend funerals with heartbreakingly small caskets. We trust that the God who used others to bless us will use us to bless others.<\/p>\n
It’s easy for human beings to camp out in their misery and affliction. I know the temptation well. However, as disciples of the Man of Sorrows, we have a higher calling. We must allow our griefs to refine us and teach us compassion. When we do, God can use us in even the greatest tragedies to reveal His comfort and love.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Matthew W. Bassford There are all too many people who want to hold God to promises He’s never made. They get sick, and they blame Him for not keeping them healthy. They run into financial hardship, and they grumble because He hasn’t helped them prosper. They’re single and unhappy, and they claim it’s His…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[359,652,182],"class_list":["post-42420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-comfort","tag-grief","tag-suffering"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":98042,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-god-allows-suffering\/","url_meta":{"origin":42420,"position":0},"title":"Why God Allows Suffering","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bill Robinson A Summary from Job 26:14 \"Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; and how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?\" (Job 26:14 NASB). The book of Job is poetry, and this line closes Job's hymn on God's power\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55600,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/comfort-for-the-depressed\/","url_meta":{"origin":42420,"position":1},"title":"Comfort for the Depressed","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 7, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Johnny Felker In II Corinthians 1, Paul discusses what must have been one of the lowest points in his life, a time filled with deep feelings of anxiety and despair. He reports that in Asia he was \"burdened excessively, beyond... strength\" so that he \"despaired even of life\", having\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/11\/depressed.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":96300,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-thoughts-of-promises-binding\/","url_meta":{"origin":42420,"position":2},"title":"Are thoughts of promises binding?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good morning! I have a question regarding OCD and false promises to God. I have thoughts pop up (even intentionally about things I don't actually want to swear, I will do, like giving up on things) with a sentence like \"If I ever use it\" or \"If I ever\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46994,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/gods-promises-to-the-faithful\/","url_meta":{"origin":42420,"position":3},"title":"God\u2019s Promises to the Faithful","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew W. Bassford No matter how many times I read the Bible, I always find something new in it. Nor are these discoveries subtle or inconsequential. Often, they are magnificent! So it was with this week's Bible reading. I'm familiar with Revelation. 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This teaches us that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31000,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-broke-my-promises-to-my-boyfriend-will-god-punish-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":42420,"position":5},"title":"I broke my promises to my boyfriend. Will God punish me?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 21, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a girl in my mid-twenties. I had a boyfriend for about five years. I was deeply in love with him. We almost regarded each other as husband and wife. We saw our future together. 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