Have you ever wondered why there are recurring seasons in life? Seasons of joy, seasons of ecstasy, seasons of fulfillment, seasons of sorrow, seasons of utter frustrations etc. New pursuits keep on arising when the previous ones have been achieved. The wealthy keep amassing wealth like an insatiable desert land, new dreams develop as we advance in age. All these changes and efforts are in search of comfort.
The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines comfort as ‘a pleasant feeling of being relaxed and free from pain’; this was God’s plan for mankind from creation (Genesis 1:26-31).
But is it possible for a human being to be completely comfortable on earth?
We can all testify that we are never completely comfortable on earth, this is because of the invasion of the earth by evil (Genesis 3) and consequently, the destruction of God’s perfect plan for mankind.
Comfort is therefore hindered by our enemy the devil in his wicked schemes of war, greed, lies, corruption, ingratitude, depression, failures, envy, rejection, jealousy, betrayal, abandonment, death etc. He never stops; he is continually devising new schemes every day.
Man has some major desires (food, power, fame / recognition), that orientate to some extent his/ her way of living, and the devil being very aware of this uses these desires as a basis to render mankind in pain. Even our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil with these desires (Luke 4:1-13). The truth is,
even if we get all our desires for example; food, clothes, power, fame, money, friends, perfect body shape, a wife or husband etc. we will never be completely comfortable on earth.
Our being complete is found only in Jesus Christ who will perfect everything in the end when he completely eradicates evil, until that time comes, He has warned us of the evil and encouraged us to remain in Him so as to find peace and remain victorious even when our comfort is attacked by the devil (John 16:33).
Therefore, instead of striving for complete comfort here on earth, we should rather cling to Jesus who is willing and available to guide us victoriously into an eternal comfort (Revelations 3:20).
The following guiding points will be helpful in rendering us victorious all the time, and comfortable most of the time.
1. Recognition and Acceptance of the Only One Who Can Complete and Render Us Comfortable
God has given us a remedy for eternal comfort in His son Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 3:18), and unless we recognize and accept this truth about Jesus, we will never be free from pain. Jesus is the one who has the power to grant us comfort here on earth and in eternity. All we have to do is to believe, confess our sins and surrender everything about our lives to Him (John 5:24, Romans 10:9).
2. Constant and Persistent Fellowship With God
The Bible which is God’s guide for a comfortable life on earth tells us of the power of the words written in it. We can only fellowship with God when we spend time with Him, knowing Him, pouring out our frustrations to Him, and letting Him direct and lead us into His intended purpose of a life free from pain. Without knowledge of God’s word, we will never know God, and we will never fellowship with Him, and consequently will never be free from pain
3. Gratitude and Contentment
True comfort is found in a grateful heart, a heart that seeks to be positive and thankful in every circumstance; good or bad. When we learn gratitude, we surf through life victoriously comfortable because no matter the circumstances that arise, we will always find a good thing out of them to be thankful for. A positive and contented person is therefore a person full of comfort.
4. Acceptance Of The Fact That We Can Never Be Completely Free From Pain On Earth
God created man in His image to fellowship with Him, but the devil destroyed this plan through sin which brought evil into the world. Part of this fellowship included freedom from pain and everlasting comfort, but this can no longer be possible on earth because of the destructive work of satan which brought pain into the world. Until the end of the world when Jesus completely destroys the devil and redeems His people for a new life free from evil, the earth will know no complete comfort. We must therefore recognize this truth and focus on eternity and not on things that will pass a way.
5. Realize That Life On Earth is a Warfare
You are either a soldier or victim; you must choose your camp wisely. Our enemy the devil is here on a mission; to deceive, steal, kill and to destroy (John 10:10). His time here on earth is very short and he is in search of those who will be condemned alongside with him. Unfortunately many fall prey to his lies and schemes; they turn away from Jesus who is the only one who can save them. On the other hand, those who have been saved by Jesus must consciously work hard to remain saved till the end for the enemy the devil will never give up trying to bring them down for the rest of their lives on earth. We must therefore be alert, using all the necessary weapons and tools to continually overcome the devil (Ephesians 6:10-18, Galatians 5:22-23, James 4:7). Jesus Christ must forever remain our role model and guide if we must emerge as conquerors in the warfare of life.
Life is a precious gift given to us by God who intended it to be one of complete and continuous comfort. Unfortunately the devil destroyed God’s plan through evil which produced sin which brought pain into the world. God has however provided a remedy to the destructive scheme of the devil through His son Jesus who overcame sin and destroyed all the works of the devil for the salvation of mankind. Complete comfort is therefore found only in Jesus Christ, who will perfect everything at the end when he returns to Judge the world and take His children with Him. Until that time comes, evil will continue tormenting the world and causing pain.