I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge.—1 Corinthians 1:4-5 The following true story from Senior Living serves to illustrate the glorious truth of which Paul spoke:
Commissioner Frederick Booth-Tucker of the Salvation Army was preaching in Chicago when a man stepped from the crowd and yelled out, “You can talk about how Christ is dear to you; but if your wife were dead, as my wife is, and you had babies crying for their mother, you couldn’t say what you are saying.”
A few days later, Booth-Tucker lost his wife in a tragic train accident. Her body was returned to Chicago for the funeral.
As the service concluded, the husband took his place by the casket and said, “The other day when I was preaching in this city, a man said that if my wife were dead and my children were crying for their mother, I couldn’t say Christ was sufficient. If that man is here, I tell him Christ is sufficient! My heart is crushed, bleeding, and broken. But there is a song in my heart, and Christ put it there. The Savior speaks comfort to me today.”
The man was present, and on hearing that, he came down the aisle to surrender his life to the Lord.
No matter the tragedies we face-death, sickness, loneliness, hurt, persecution, and so on-Christ is sufficient in them all. Isn’t it comforting to know our Lord knows our pain-literally? Isn’t it reassuring to know we have a God who will be there to pick us up when we fall, carry us when we’re too weak, and never leave our side through it all?
If you’ve experienced loss, anguish, or some other affliction, trust in the Lord to walk with you through it. And use your experience to comfort the hearts of others who are also going through affliction.
Ask the Lord to comfort you in affliction and help you to comfort those who are experiencing the same situations
