I met with a friend for dinner not too long ago, and we were talking about just how difficult life can seem from time to time. Sometimes, we may even have a desire that life would be easier than it seems to be.
I don’t think this was a bad desire that we hold to, but an even better desire for us, what God wants for us is not an easier life, but a stronger self.
I often think of comfort as a desire that we have similar to ease. And comfort isn’t a bad desire, either. As a matter of fact, God describes himself as our comfort. He tells us to come to him when seeking comfort.
I really believe that God wants us to be comfortable. But I think God wants us to expand and live outside our comfort zones. What are some things we as Christians should be more comfortable with?
Praying
If we are not comfortable talking to our Heavenly Father, then why are we professing Christian faith? We have a God who loves us, cares for us, hears us, and wants to give us good gifts that will give him glory!
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
1 John 5:14-15
God wants to connect with us through prayer, and this doesn’t need to be something that makes us uncomfortable. Whether it’s praising him for his faithfulness, requesting his power, or just attempting to put the awe of the Gospel into words, he wants us to pray, and this shouldn’t be something we shy away from.
Sharing Our Faith
We need to be comfortable sharing our faith with those we regularly interact with. I often meet Christians who tell me that they are uncomfortable sharing their faith.
But often times, it doesn’t seem so much as people are uncomfortable talking to people. It’s that people aren’t confident enough in their own faith.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Hebrews 4:12
The beautiful thing about the Christian faith is that the confidence to share isn’t found in how much we know about our faith, or how well we can answer people’s questions.
It is completely reliant on how God chooses to use those who are bold enough to share. And he will. That’s why he asks us to.
Training Others
As we strive to be warriors in our faith and our walk with God, we need to be comfortable training those younger than us to also strive to be warriors of their faith.
The best way to train is to lead by example and be willing to invest in those younger than us. People can be uncomfortable with this, because, like sharing our faith, our confidence is in the wrong thing.
We don’t find our comfort in our ability to lead, but by allowing God’s grace to be real. And it will only be seen if we’re willing to try to do what God asks of us—like praying, sharing, and training.
So since God wants us to be comfortable doing these things, we have to start somewhere. So just go for it. Pray to God. Share your faith. Train someone. And watch God’s grace work miraculously.
Mitch graduated from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL, where he studied Evangelism and Discipleship with an emphasis in Intercultural Ministries. He blogs at his own website about how the Gospel impacts the way we ought our lives. He was a Golden State Warriors fan before it was cool and is considered a semi-professional Kan Jam player in his hometown.
This is definitely inspiring. One of my favorite lines in Neil Diamonds Song “Brother’s Love Traveling Salvation Show” is: “Now you got yourself two good hands And when your brother is troubled,
You gotta reach out your one hand for him ‘Cause that’s what it’s there for. And when your heart is troubled, You gotta reach out your other hand. Reach it out to the man up there ‘Cause that’s what he’s there for.”
As we seek Comfort from God, through prayer, we also are able to bring comfort to those around us. We are able to preach the Gospel by how we strive to live our own lives in God’s divine Grace. We are called “living testimonies,” and “living sacrifices.” How we live in God’s grace says much more and shines much brighter than what we say.
Sometimes, God puts more importance on our self-development rather than our comfort. However, at the end of it all, we can still get comfort from our heavenly Father. 🙂
Absolutely I agree. God doesn’t enjoy seeing us in misery or those being persecuted, martyred. He does want to see us be the Mary not the Martha. I had fallen from reading, praying to just going to work and nothing else. Losing everything gives one a different perspective. Brought me back to God, to reading, praying, praising. Then as time has worn on, I see where I have become legalistic in reading. My prayers/praise have become shorter. That’s more Martha than Mary. While Mary hung on every word like did the other disciples, she did so with awe and praise. Martha cooked and cleaned (did what was necessary) and griped. Prayer and praise is not a natural thing to our physical selves which is part of why Paul says he has to die to self every day. Great post, and glad I read this.