Receive God's Comfort

The excerpt below is drawn from Shelley Hundley's book, "A Cry for Justice". This book is doing so much in my heart and giving me insight into how I can truly comfort the abused girls I will be working with in the future; only by pointing them to Jesus, the Comforter.

       "Comfort seems most elusive when we are in the midst of our own suffering. The promises we read in Scripture can seem like empty words when our hearts are racked with pain and there seems to be no end in sight. When we are in the midst of our suffering, we must lift up our eyes and receive comfort by seeing who Jesus truly is.
       1. See Jesus as your Bridegroom. He is longing for you and weeping with you. As your heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus endured the pain of the cross for the joy of having you. By His grace you can endure pain for love of Him because He has endured pain for love of you. See yourself as the cherished bride of the all-powerful Bridegroom, and let that become the center of your identity. Your wedding day is soon to come.
       2. See Jesus as the Judge. Jesus is the Bridegroom Judge who will fight for you. Commit your cause to Him and demand that every bit of pain bear fruit. Let it draw you into deeper intimacy with the Bridegroom Judge and equip you for His purposes.
       3. See God as your Father. The Father records the movements of your heart toward Him. That is how deeply He cares for you. God uses the least amount of suffering possible to equip you for what He has for you. Surrender to His wisdom and sovereignty when you don't understand.
       4. See God as your Deliverer. We don't have to choose between intimacy and deliverance. We can hold both in their glorious paradox. We can say yes to God in the midst of our pain (by cultivating intimacy with our loving Bridegroom) and believe God for the deliverance He will bring as the righteous Judge. We must ask God to make our suffering count to the highest measure, believing God to bring healing and deliverance from all oppression.
       I challenge you right now to open up your heart and allow God to bring you comfort. He promises to comfort all who mourn. I pray that you will be strengthened by the hope that the King is coming. No matter what you are facing, behold your God. He will come with a strong hand." (p. 126-128)