BBD 01.26.10 The God of all Comfort

#1 · January 26, 2010, 2:19 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on January 26, 2010, 2:19 pm
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more
than 11,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of over 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive prayer
requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

You can now leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at
www.theburningbush.net.

I'm now on twitter and you can find me at http://www.twitter.com/edwrather.

The Burning Bush Devotional

Welcome to the 74 new subscribers since January 1, 2010!!

There were 1367 new subscribers during 2009!!

01.26.10

The God of all Comfort

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the
form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made
Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in
the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the
cross. - Philippians 2:5-8.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that
we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort
with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of
Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. - 2
Corinthians 1:3-5.

In October of 2008 we found out that our son, Nick, had lost the sight in
his left eye because of a detached retina. It is doubtful that he has any
vision in the eye, but he may be able to see a light when shined directly
into the eye. He had surgery in November of 2008 to stabilize the eye so
that it would not have to be removed.

After we found out about Nick's eye problem we decided that we would go
ahead and take a trip to Branson, Missouri that we had planned for later.
Nick is mentally challenged with Down Syndrome, and he has been a fan of the
Oakridge Boys, since he was a little boy (He is 31 now.). We thought it
would take all of our minds off of what had happened and the surgery.

The eye surgeon, a retinal specialist, told us when he said that Nick would
not have sight in that eye that it was "Unfortunate." While listening to the
Oakridge Boys at Branson, they sang a song from their Christmas album. In
the song a family has some bad things happen to them, and repeatedly they
say it was "Unfortunate", "Inconvenient", and then they say, "The most
inconvenient Christmas ever was, was the first one, when God came so far, to
give himself to us, so when stress hits each December, how it helps me to
remember God is with us most when things just can't get worse, the most
inconvenient Christmas ever was. was the first." It spoke to my heart and to
Jeanie's as we knew that God knew exactly where we were and what was going
on in our lives.

Yesterday, I took Nick back to the retinal specialist, and it was decided
that another surgery would not improve the vision in his left eye. Nick
continues to be at high risk for retinal detachment in his good eye because
of having had a cataract surgery and also being very nearsighted.

When I am going through difficult times I have the tendency to want to have
a pity party. Oh woe is me. At the same time, I tend to think that God does
not really care, and that He has forgotten about us. The spiritual fact is
that God cares more than we can imagine, more than we can comprehend. Even
during the most difficult of times God is able to reach out and touch us,
encourage us so that we have the strength to continue on with life. He can
do that because He is the "God of all comfort."

You may be going through or have gone through much worse than I have ever
experienced or ever will experience; however, God can give you the strength,
the comfort that you need. Allow the "God of all comfort" to touch you at
the point of your need. Ask Him to comfort you, and then watch for when He
wraps His arms around you - lifting you up to live life again.

Copyright © 2010. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began writing devotionals
in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first devotionals was
primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison facilities
throughout the United States and Canada.

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer
Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be
forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need
of prayer - please pray for me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube (now Tangle) at:
www.godtube.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more
than 11,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of over 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive prayer
requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

You can now leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at
http://www.theburningbush.net.

I'm now on twitter and you can find me at http://www.twitter.com/edwrather.

The Burning Bush Devotional

Welcome to the 74 new subscribers since January 1, 2010!!

There were 1367 new subscribers during 2009!!

01.26.10

The God of all Comfort

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the
form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made
Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in
the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the
cross. - Philippians 2:5-8.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that
we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort
with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of
Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. - 2
Corinthians 1:3-5.

In October of 2008 we found out that our son, Nick, had lost the sight in
his left eye because of a detached retina. It is doubtful that he has any
vision in the eye, but he may be able to see a light when shined directly
into the eye. He had surgery in November of 2008 to stabilize the eye so
that it would not have to be removed.

After we found out about Nick's eye problem we decided that we would go
ahead and take a trip to Branson, Missouri that we had planned for later.
Nick is mentally challenged with Down Syndrome, and he has been a fan of the
Oakridge Boys, since he was a little boy (He is 31 now.). We thought it
would take all of our minds off of what had happened and the surgery.

The eye surgeon, a retinal specialist, told us when he said that Nick would
not have sight in that eye that it was "Unfortunate." While listening to the
Oakridge Boys at Branson, they sang a song from their Christmas album. In
the song a family has some bad things happen to them, and repeatedly they
say it was "Unfortunate", "Inconvenient", and then they say, "The most
inconvenient Christmas ever was, was the first one, when God came so far, to
give himself to us, so when stress hits each December, how it helps me to
remember God is with us most when things just can't get worse, the most
inconvenient Christmas ever was. was the first." It spoke to my heart and to
Jeanie's as we knew that God knew exactly where we were and what was going
on in our lives.

Yesterday, I took Nick back to the retinal specialist, and it was decided
that another surgery would not improve the vision in his left eye. Nick
continues to be at high risk for retinal detachment in his good eye because
of having had a cataract surgery and also being very nearsighted.

When I am going through difficult times I have the tendency to want to have
a pity party. Oh woe is me. At the same time, I tend to think that God does
not really care, and that He has forgotten about us. The spiritual fact is
that God cares more than we can imagine, more than we can comprehend. Even
during the most difficult of times God is able to reach out and touch us,
encourage us so that we have the strength to continue on with life. He can
do that because He is the "God of all comfort."

You may be going through or have gone through much worse than I have ever
experienced or ever will experience; however, God can give you the strength,
the comfort that you need. Allow the "God of all comfort" to touch you at
the point of your need. Ask Him to comfort you, and then watch for when He
wraps His arms around you - lifting you up to live life again.

Copyright © 2010. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began writing devotionals
in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first devotionals was
primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison facilities
throughout the United States and Canada.

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer
Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be
forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need
of prayer - please pray for me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube (now Tangle) at:
http://www.godtube.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
http://www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.