Coming Alongside

"All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."
~ 2 Corinthians 1:3,4, The Message

Oh how I love Jesus because He first loved me! This song popped into my mind as I typed the words to the powerful, life-changing verses above. Oh how I love Jesus! Will you give Him praise? Will you come before Him with a thankful heart?

My love for Jesus has carried me through many storms, many trials and heartbreaks. His Presence has comforted me. His wings have sheltered me. And for this I am very thankful.

Thankful. Thanksgiving. That is an interesting term. It carries such noble potential but is trivialized by much commercialization. The name Thanksgiving comes with its own form of pressure: pressure to have the perfect family, pressure to smile when your world is falling apart, pressure to kick it in gear as the holiday bustle begins.

How sad. How commercial. How empty.

Empty, yes, unless we toss the peripheral and turn our eyes on Jesus, the lover of our souls. Church, He has done so much for us. He has come alongside us in our troubles - comforted us, consoled and encouraged us. And for what cause? That we might, in turn, come alongside someone else to comfort and encourage them with the knowledge of God's love.

That amazes me. Elohim, the Creator of the Universe, the Father of ALL comfort has walked beside me in my darkest moments. He has done the same for you. Think about that...He has walked beside me. He has walked beside you. Never alone. Never forsaken. Always loved.

Is it possible for us to center in on this Truth - the realization of Almighty God walking with us and talking with us, being drawn to us like a magnet when we hurt - and finding a place of true thanksgiving and praise? Perhaps we should continue the tradition of Thanksgiving by comforting others with the comfort we have received.

Isaiah 40:1 reads, "'Comfort, yes comfort My people,' says your God." I have come to believe that comforting and encouraging others with the comfort I have received is an expression of highest praise. In my praise of the Father I offer thanks. Thanks for His Presence. Thanks for His comfort. And thanks for His love.

And a very special thanks for coming alongside me during the hard times.


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If you have received Morning Glory via email please go to the Morning Glory page to view a goosebump-making video by the Katinas, "Thank You Lord".