Heart Work

True Comfort Part 1: Jesus Our Immediate Comfort

   



    Binge watching videos, indulging in our favorite snacks, taking a nap, venting to someone are all things we turn to for comfort in stressful situations. Don't get me wrong, all of the above are normal things to do. It's healthy to give yourself a break, but it could turn into something more when it becomes our source of comfort and joy. It's even more dangerous when unhealthy habits like alcohol, drugs, and pornography become our immediate comfort. An overindulgence anything could turn into an addiction and will never satisfy us no matter how much we fill ourselves.

     I love going on Instagram. Social media is a great asset to document memories, but even something simple as scrolling through Instagram could become a bad habit. Recently I've been excessively checking my feed, refreshing my stories to check who is watching them, and obsessing over my follower number. It becomes my source of joy, keeps my thoughts distracted for a moment, and temporarily keeps my anxiety bottled up. 

When you're feeling overwhelmed and stressed, what do you do? When you go through heartbreak, who or what are you turning to? What is your immediate comfort? 

We all know the go-to verses:

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)

and many more...

We know the verses, we know we should run to God in all situations, but then why isn't Jesus our immediate comfort?

Here are some heart issues that I've found in myself:

God isn't meeting your expectations 

Here are some people in the Bible who didn't have their expectations met by God:
  • Sarah laughed when God said she'd be pregnant at an old age...Their resolution was to have a baby with Hagar!
  • God told Naaman to wash in the Jordan River to be healed from his leprosy... He responded in anger, storming off and probably thinking, "why would God tell me to bathe in dirty water?" 
  • The Israelites grew impatient as Moses went up to Mount Sinai to get the Ten Commandments. So what did they do? They melted all their gold and created made a golden calf to worship.
They probably had thoughts like this:
"Why would God make me wait?"
"But I need to do something now!"
"This doesn't make sense! Does God even care about me anymore?" 

I read these stories and almost scoff at their lack of faith, but that's because I know the outcome of God's plan. When we are the ones going through a storm or wandering through the wilderness, it's easy to want to do our own thing, angrily distance yourself from God, and grow impatient. 

We need to rewire our minds to what true comfort is.
True comfort isn't about feeling but knowing. It's not hugs & kisses, feeling good, removing yourself from reality, or numbing emotions. True comfort is knowing God is good and loves us beyond all measures. It's knowing that He has great plans for us no matter how bleak the future might seem. True comfort is placing our hope on Christ.

Expecting God to remove the discomfort or solve it our way

God won't remove our symptoms of pain but He will walk us through it.
-When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:2)
-And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Have joy knowing that our future is filled with hope. He has already won our battles for us. We'll come out of our storms stronger and more mature in our faith. This world and all the storms in it are not forever, but God and His kingdom are.

We expect God to solve the problem the way we want it to be solved.
-There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens, (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
-A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

Why does God allow some pains to happen? I have no idea, but that's because I'm not God. This is when we have to have faith and trust in God's character. He has given us everything, even sending His own son to die for us. How much more can we ask for? Continue trusting in our all loving and powerful Creator.

Consider it Pure Joy (James 1:2-4)
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

Continue persevering in faith! Through the storms God is working...
  • Refining our faith and character
  • Seeing God's strength through our weaknesses
  • Practicing total surrender and hope in Christ
  • Walking testimony and light to those around you
  • Reminder that this world is not our home, but Heaven is

Doubting God's character + failing to apply scripture to our heart

Hopelessness, self-sufficiency, anxiety, and fear. These are symptoms of forgetting or doubting God's character. 

"Do you really care or love me?"
"Am I actually saved?"
"I don't see God working in my life."

I started feeling silly giving others verses and saying "Don't worry, God's got this!" when I myself was also an anxious mess. And that was the problem, I knew the verses but I didn't actually understand. We need to take all those verses we know in our head and apply it in our heart.

Living out Psalm 46:10
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God
-"Normally we don't connect our responses to knowing but rather to feeling. We are most often motivated in a crisis by our emotions - that wave of anxiety or surge of self-pity. Our emotions often form and drive our response" (Stowell 147).

I love the image Stowell gives, he says that life could sometimes feel like a box of puzzles with all the pieces scattered on the table. With just the puzzle pieces alone, it could feel daunting, overwhelming, confusing but luckily there is a box top showing the whole picture. God is that "box top" of our life. "When we know Him, we have the assurance that there is order and meaning under the chaos, and that all things will work out for His glory and our good in the end."

(Quotes from Far from Home: The Soul's Intimacy with God by Joseph M. Stowell. Highly recommend reading it).

Brief summary:
--> True comfort isn't about feeling but knowing
--> We have comfort in His promises, His word, who He says He is
--> Do you know scripture or understand scripture?
--> And again, nothing wrong with watching shows and eating ice cream, but when it spirals and becomes our source of comfort and joy, that's when there's a problem.


I hope and pray that all of you will know true comfort, and that in every storm you go through, you will immediately run to our loving Father whose arms are always wide open. 

 



Angelina

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