Baptist City Blog

2 Corinthians 7:6

Several years ago, my aunt, Bessie Parr, was dying of cancer. During those final hours, my uncle was by the side of her bed and family members were in the room to be with her. She was a dear lady who had greatly influenced my life and the life of many others. With our hearts heavy, someone came into the room and said that our pastor was coming to visit. I happened to step out of the room when I saw Bro. Jack Hyles, our pastor, walking down the hallway with his wife to come and comfort the family. I remember the embrace he gave, and how his presence alone was a comfort to the whole family.

This is exactly what the verse above is talking about. In the previous verse, Paul talked about the troubles he faced in Macedonia and the fears he had in his heart. He then says that God comforted him “by the coming of Titus.” Though God is the God of all comfort and His Holy Spirit is the Comforter, He also uses people like you to comfort those in need. Let me give you some suggestions on how to make your presence a comforting presence.

First, be sure to lift up Christ. Your presence will never be a comfort to others when you make personality your focus. It is God Who comforts, and it must be God Whom you make your focus of life. It is through the Word of God that you will find the words of comfort and encouragement for those who face troubles and fear. You may feel that you don't know how to comfort people, but if you will simply use the Scriptures you will find your presence will be a comforting presence.

Second, don't make yourself an issue. Don't try to impress others because you are there, but truly be there because you care for them. The quickest way to squelch the opportunity to comfort others is to make your presence about you. Take yourself out of the picture and simply point people to the Comforter. Let the words of comfort from the Scriptures be your comforting tool to make your presence a comforting presence.

Third, have a good attitude. Your attitude can certainly be a comfort to those around you if it is an encouraging one. If you are one who struggles with having a positive attitude, then you need to ask God to help you remove the negative or complaining attitude out of your life. People don't need to hear the negative, they need to hear the positive. Your presence will be a comforting presence when you learn to talk about the good things in life.

Fourth, give people a chance to recover. When life has cast people down, they don't need someone who is constantly telling them the mistakes they’ve made, they need someone who will let them know that God can still use them. Don't be that judgmental Christian who doesn't give people a second chance; instead, be the Christian who tries to help people when life has cast them down.

One of the great enjoyments of life is to know that you have helped someone who needed encouragement. Try to make it a daily goal to let your presence be a comforting presence to someone whose path you crossed. Let these four things be a part of your life, and you will be surprised how many people God will encourage through your presence.