God of all Comfort

“Blessed be God, even the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.” (II Cor. 1:13)

I am so overwhelmed by the tender heart of our Heavenly Father, how His heart is moved toward His children and how He comforts - not in a generic one-size-fits all comfort - but intimately in a way that is personally tailored to suit each child.

I was somewhat discouraged yesterday morning when I realized instead of feeling better I was instead feeling more pain and stiffness.

But the day was full of blessings that overshadowed my discomfort and filled my day with Son-shine.

There were several things that happened that blessed me including an unexpected phone call from my brother, and e-mails from dear friends.
But there was one e-mail that brought a special message from God’s heart from a source that could not have been more unexpected, from someone I have never met.

The e-mail was from a girl who lives here in my city.
She works in a local restaurant that my neighbour friend and her husband frequent and they became quite friendly with her about a year ago.
She told them about her upcoming mission’s trip to the Middle East and gave them her blog address. My neighbour lady told me about her.

I became interested in her story …..

I looked up her blog and was touched by the heart of this young girl and sent her an e-mail (about six months ago) just to encourage her and to tell her I would be praying for her. I never heard back from her - I did not expect to. I kept up with her blog and knew that she was now back home.
My neighbour was over a couple of days ago and said that she had seen her and that she had asked about me !
I was shocked that she would even remember me -- and then yesterday morning I got an e-mail from her. She had gone back into her records and found my e-mail address.

What was so special about her e-mail was that she said I had been on her heart and she felt God had given her a scripture for me ... she wrote out some verses from Ps. 91 which talks about God's wings.
There is no way she could have known....... but the reference to God’s wings had very special meaning to me, and brought me to tears.

I know those of you who have so faithfully read my blog will remember a post I did some time ago on God’s wings….but since some of you may missed that post I will repeat myself here and hope that if you have heard it before you will forgive me.

About four years ago, when I was very sick, one night God spoke to me through a dream.
I had been in an extreme flare for a long time -- I could not cover myself with the blanket nor could I turn myself in bed.
One day just before I fell asleep ( I could only sleep ten minutes at a time and the pain would wake me ) I found that my shoulder seemed to be less painful and I had some movement in it...I thought , Hmmm, I wonder what I did to make it better ?

And I continued the thought into my dream.
In my dream I reached out and moved my hand across my shoulder and realized that the reason I could move my shoulder was because I had cut off my wings...and I had done a very good job ...I had cut them off right at the base.

In the morning I told Vic laughingly that I knew why my shoulder was better -- it was because I had cut off my wings.
I thought it was just a silly dream until I got a phone call from Vic's nephew after breakfast and he said God had given him a scripture for me...It was from Malachi 4:2 where it says that the "Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings."

Immediately, I understood my dream. I didn't have to carry my pain myself; I didn't have to try so hard to stay strong... I had cut off my own wings (trusting in my own strength) and now I could rest on God's wings.
After that it seemed that references to God's wings kept coming across my path, always making my heart leap for joy because it carried a personal message to me from God's heart.
It became God's secret code word to me, to remind me that He was there, that He loved me and I could trust Him completely.

It has been a long time since I have had any 'messages' using the code word ‘wings’, until today -through the thoughtful, message of this obedient young girl, who knows nothing about me and could not possibly have known how much her verses would bless me.

Later in the day, I read a comment on my cousin’s bog that made me laugh and I clicked onto the author’s blog, whom I did not know and had never visited her site before.
I intended to laugh with her , but I stayed to cry with her.
Her post yesterday was a memory tribute to her 57 year old friend who had just died of cancer.
I looked at the picture of her friend and immediately recognized the woman – I know her family.
I offered my comfort in a comment.

How beautiful it is for brethren to dwell together… One family ….. caring for one another, comforting one another with the comfort that we ourselves have received.

I am so moved in gratitude to the great God and Father whose name we carry.
How can we do else but simply fall to our knees in worship and declare Him forever worthy of our highest praise and honour !!!!

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named!" (Eph.3:14.15)