Lessons from Adversity (Part Nine)

He leads me …

We have been reflecting what Charles Stanley has to say about the benefits of adversity based on Paul’s experiences throughout the New Testament. Now we find out another way that we are better off.

12 LESSONS FROM ADVERSITY - Growing Closer to God Through Trials and Troubles[1]

 Through tribulation and difficulty, Paul learned:

 9.     Adversity prepared him to comfort others more effectively. God uses our suffering to prepare us to minister to others (2 Cor. 1:3-4). We are best equipped to comfort people if we have been through something similar.

 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 states that our Heavenly Father – ‘the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.’ (NIV).

 When we look at the comfort that we received from God we probably think of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. Those Christians who did not have the privilege of growing up in a Christian home, and instead experienced what the world offers, know what they have been saved from when the Lord came into their life. This gives them a testimony of the grace of God, who took them out of a life surrounded by negative and bad influences into His glorious kingdom where there is joy, peace and love.

 People considering Christianity for their lives, can hear these testimonies which initially give them something that they can relate to in terms of what is happening in the world around them. Then they hear about the hope and comfort that they need. The two sides give them the understanding that they need to make the transition into a born again experience.

 Just as the Christians who have already made the changeover can share how they went from the events in their lives that affected them badly into a life of hope and a future, those who have suffered can comfort others who are experiencing something similar too.

We do not have to listen to someone preaching for long to determine the depth of the relationship that they have with the Lord. It is not just about what the Bible says, but the experience that goes with it – their testimony. What a mature Christian speaker says has more credibility, and listeners can also learn from their example. The same goes for a comforter sharing with a sufferer.

Often too, there will be instances in both the preaching and the comforting where the Lord had a part in the events in ways that could not be put down to coincidence or good luck. In this way He gets the glory, as He should do.

 So when it comes to comforting someone who is going through difficult times, who better to do it than someone who has already been there? It may mean being honest about the ongoing tough things that may still have to be endured, but if there is an upside they will know what it is and can encourage the sufferer that there is hope. If there is no upside, then the sufferer can be prepared for what is ahead so that there are no surprises. Either way they are better off.

[1] https://www.intouch.org/Read/Blog/12-lessons-from-adveristy

[2] https://www.intouch.org/Read/Blog/12-lessons-from-adveristy