COMFORTING ONE ANOTHER
By L. May Gotham
L. MAY GOTHAM
(Milwaukee, Wis.) “BLESSED be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” Have you in some great affliction been comforted by the Father of mercies? For what purpose was it?—That you might be able to comfort some one who is passing through a like affliction, even as Abraham was blessed that he might be a blessing to others. It is a fact that one who has passed through sorrow and affliction is more capable of choosing ways and words that are as balm to the sufferer; and the trials and afflictions that seem indeed hard to bear are often the Lord’s means of making us efficient workers for Him in pointing souls to the only true source of comfort; thus some will be led to Him who could not be led in any other way. We have a case of this kind in the Scriptures. David says: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes;” and again, “Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now have I kept thy word.” Ps. 119:71, 67. Indeed, James tells us that one of the attributes of pure religion is visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction. Perhaps no other person ever passed through so many trials as Job did. Loss of his loved ones, loss of health, from wealth reduced to poverty,—all these afflictions seemed to crowd themselves in upon him at once; and having suffered all this, he certainly is the one to tell us what is most appreciated by one in trouble. Hear his words: “To him that is afflicted pity should be showed from his friend.” Job 6:14. While upon earth, Jesus always sympathized with and comforted those who were suffering, and when about to leave the earth, forgetting His own suffering and death of shame, His pity for the sorrowing disciples was shown by the promise, “If I depart, I will send Him [the Comforter] unto you.” The case of Paul, Titus, and the Corinthians shows us how the Lord uses consecrated human agents as a means of carrying comfort to others. The Corinthians having been a source of consolation to Titus, he, in turn, was sent by God to Paul, who was “troubled on every side,” and caused him to rejoice. “For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; and not by His coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.” We are told that “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap,” and “he which soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly.” Who can say that this is not as true in this case as in any4other? Can any one sow comfort and consolation, thereby bringing joy and peace to others, without making himself better and happier? Believing “that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us,” and that “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,” comfort some one else with the same comfort wherewith you were comforted.