Comforters

     God has called us to be comforters.  But we must always remember that the road to such a ministry is one of discomfort.  God puts us through various trials to test our faith, to strengthen us, to increase our dependence on Him--and to make us comforters.  He comforts us in our tribulations that we might pass on His comfort to others.  We are not to be content to be receivers of His grace and peace, but to look for opportunities to be sharers of the grace and peace He has given us in difficult times.  The first thing we should look for when God allows us to go through times of testing are others who are going through the very same thing.  God has prepared us to reach out to those people with the comfort He has taught us.  It is not coincidence that God brings such people into our lives.  So the next time God reveals Himself to you in a time of testing; remember, He is about to send others your way who need to see Him in the same way, who need the same sense of His presence that He has given you.  Never forget that your trials are God's training ground for the ministry of comforting.  He is trusting you to be the source of encouragement His hurting children need.  The trials are His way of saying, "I need you."