The prayer-verse above is one that I have prayed hundreds of times over the years. The Lord taught me long ago to ask Him for comfort in good times and bad. Life has a way of pushing us down and making us feel defeated, discouraged, and depressed. Thankfully, Jesus came so that we could live abundant lives filled with His joy and peace in every circumstance.

One way we can live above our circumstances is to pray often for comfort. There are many promises of comfort in the Bible, but we don’t reap their benefits automatically. Often, we must ask the Lord for His own special kind of comfort, expecting Him to answer. God says in His Word, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” (Isaiah 66:13 NIV) So we can pray with confidence, “Lord, comfort me as a mother comforts her child.”

There are many reasons why God longs to comfort us, but one of them is so that we can turn around and comfort others when they are in need. “[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT) Think about all of the times when others were able to comfort you because of the comfort they received from the Lord when they were hurting.

Another reason why God desires to comfort us is so that others can see His favor on our lives. “Show me a sign of [Your evident] goodwill and favor, that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because You, Lord, [will show Your approval of me when You] help and comfort me.” (Psalm 86:17 AMP) When others see us going through hard times being helped and comforted by God Himself, we will be more powerful examples of His goodness and glory.

Scripture promises that when we ask the Lord for anything in line with His will, we can be certain of receiving what we prayed for. (1 John 5:14-15) So day and night, no matter what you are going through, you can pray with complete confidence – "Now comfort me with Your faithful love, as You promised!"

Prayer: Lord, I am so grateful that Your Word says that You are the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3) By Your Spirit, remind me often that Your supernatural comfort is available to me at all times. When I am suffering in any way, help me not to hesitate to seek You for Your own special kind of comfort. Thank You that as I receive the comfort that only You can give, others will take notice and want a relationship with You, too!