Lord, I come to you needing the comfort only you can give me. In suffering, I choose to draw near to you. Your love meets me wherever I am – especially in the depths of pain. You are not absent or distant in my moments of desperation. You always come close because you are the God who suffered on the cross to save His people. “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:38-39.
You are the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. The one who lifts me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. Set my feet on solid ground and steady me as I walk along. I cannot make it through this alone. I need you to carry me. Heal the broken areas in my heart and life. You are the God who redeems all things.
You are my comforter and my refuge. The one who sees me, knows me and never leaves me. In the midst of suffering, you renew me with your mercies and your steadfast love and your faithfulness preserves me.
As your word promises, your grace is sufficient for me, for your power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. I am hard pressed and desperate for you Lord but I will not despise this place because it leads me to meet you in a deeper way. I trust that when my flesh and heart fail, you are the strength of my heart and portion forever.
I encounter your heart for all who suffer in Isaiah 61:2-3, “… to comfort all who mourn; to grant those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.”
Bring beauty out of the ashes in my life. Make me an oak of righteousness so others may see your faithfulness and you may be glorified. You comfort me in all my tribulation that I may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” I trust that you will somehow use my suffering for good.
You are faithful in every season, trial, and set-back. Let your presence fill my life, and be my overcoming strength.
In Jesus name,
Amen