2 Corinthians 1:3

Have you ever needed someone to extend mercy to you? You did something wrong, thoughtless, or perhaps careless. You felt bad and desired forgiveness. You asked to be forgiven. What if their heart was hardened and they said no? And how horrible it would be if our Heavenly Father refused to forgive us.

Quite the opposite, 2 Corinthians 1:3 tells us that God is the Father of Mercies. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the FATHER OF MERCIES and God of all comfort.”

Mercy flows from our Father. It’s His nature. He is the original transmitter of mercy. So when you go to a Christian sister or brother and ask forgiveness and they extend mercy, they are a reflection of their Father – the Father of Mercies.

The good news doesn’t stop with God being a transmitter of mercy and our Christian brothers and sisters being transmitters of mercy. The good news is we can be transmitters of mercy also, reflections of our Father.

In today’s culture, it can be easy sometimes for a person to be offended. They may hold grudges and not want to forgive or extend mercy. However, what a precious opportunity it is for believers to show mercy as our Heavenly Father does. Let’s make it a point to do this well.

FATHER of MERCIES, thank You for extending mercy to us. May we be quick to extend mercy to others and reflect well on You.

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One blanket. Two blankets. Three blankets. Four. Keith and I sat in front of the fire trying to get warm. The winter storm had brought a temperature of 3 degrees that felt like minus 11. If only we had power and water. We had neither.

The winter storm continued, and our driveway was too icy to get down. If you’ve lived in an area affected by winter storms, you know how devastating the cold can be, especially if you run out of wood, which happened to us. We couldn’t complain, though. We had a comforter. A comforter that we had once taken for granted, we now deeply appreciated.

So, too, our spiritual Comforter, who 2 Corinthians 1:3 describes as the God of All Comfort, is a blessing when we are experiencing life’s storms. Yes, when a person’s crisp tongue chills us to the core or the howling wind of despair blows through our heart, the God of all Comfort comforts us like none other. Why?

The Greek word for comfort means “to call to one’s side, speak to in the way of exhortation, console, teach.” God gives believers the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit. Our Comforter is an abiding presence who will never wear out, never become threadbare, and never leave us. The more we blanket our lives with His teachings, the more we’ll know the warmth of His abiding presence. ¹

Heavenly Father, You are the GOD of ALL COMFORT. Please comfort those who are suffering. Give them Your wisdom. Strengthen them as only You can.

¹ Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, page 67. Copyright Howard Publishing 2006, Debbie Taylor Williams, Monroe, LA

Have you ever needed someone to extend mercy to you? You did something wrong, thoughtless, or perhaps careless. You felt bad and desired forgiveness. You asked to be forgiven. What if their heart was hardened and they said no?  And how horrible it would be if that described our Heavenly Father. But it doesn’t.  Second Corinthians 1:3 tells us that God is the Father of Mercies.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the FATHER OF MERCIES and God of all comfort.”  Mercy flows from our Father. It’s His nature. He is the original transmitter of mercy.  So when you go to a Christian sister or brother and ask forgiveness and they extend mercy, they are a reflection of their Father – the Father of Mercies. The good news doesn’t stop with God being a transmitter of mercy and our Christian brothers and sisters being transmitters of mercy. The good news is we can be transmitters of mercy, reflections of our Father. In today’s society, it’s easy to be offended, to hold grudges, to perhaps not want to forgive or extend mercy. But what a precious opportunity for us to reflect on our Heavenly Father. Are we?

FATHER of MERCIES, thank You for extending mercy to us. Help us be extenders of mercy to others who point people to You. 

One blanket. Two blankets. Three blankets. Four. Keith and I sat in front of the fire trying to get warm. The winter storm had brought a temperature of 3 degrees that the weatherman said, “feels like minus 11.” If only we had power and water. We had neither. The winter storm continued and we couldn’t get down our icy driveway to get to our adult children’s homes.  If you’ve lived in an area affected by a winter storm you know how devastating the cold can be. Especially if you run out of wood, which happened to us. We couldn’t complain, though. We had a comforter. A comforter that we may have taken for granted becomes deeply appreciated in a winter storm. So, too, is a spiritual Comforter when we’re experiencing life’s storms. Second Corinthians 1:3 describes the as Lord as the God of All Comfort. Yes, when a person’s crisp tongue chills us to the core or the howling wind of despair blows through our heart, or we are experiencing a literal storm, the God of all Comfort comforts us like none other. Why?  The Greek word for comfort means “to call to one’s side, speak to, in the way of exhortation, console, teach.” How incredible that God gives every believer the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit. Our Comforter is an abiding presence who will never wear out, never become threadbare, and never leave us. The more we blanket our lives with His teachings, the more we’ll know the warmth of His abiding presence.

 Adapted from Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, page 67.

Sweet friends, you are in my prayers as you suffer through life’s storms.

Heavenly Father, You are the God of all COMFORT! Please comfort all who are suffering. Give them Your wisdom. Bring resources to help them. Strengthen them as only You can. In Jesus’s name, amen.

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Have you ever needed someone to extend mercy to you? You did something wrong, thoughtless, or perhaps careless. You felt badly and desired forgiveness. You asked to be forgiven. What if their heart was hardened and they said no?  And how horrible it would be if that described our Heavenly Father. But it doesn’t.  Second Corinthians 1:3 tells us that God is the Father of Mercies.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the FATHER OF MERCIES and God of all comfort.”  Mercy flows from our Father. It’s His nature. He is the original transmitter of mercy.  So when you go to a Christian sister or brother and ask forgiveness and they extend mercy, they are a reflection of their Father – the Father of Mercies. The good news doesn’t stop with God being a transmitter of mercy and our Christian brothers and sisters being transmitters of mercy. The good news is we can be transmitters of mercy, reflections of our Father. In today’s society it’s easy to be offended, to hold grudges, to perhaps not want to forgive or extend mercy. But what a precious opportunity for us to reflect our Heavenly Father. Are we?

FATHER of MERCIES, thank You for extending mercy to us. Help us be extenders of mercy to others who point people to You. 

One blanket. Two blankets. Three blankets. Four. Keith and I sat in front of the fire trying to get warm. The winter storm had brought a temperature of 3 degrees that the weatherman said, “feels like minus 11.” If only we had power and water. We had neither. The winter storm continued and we couldn’t get down our icy driveway to get to our children’s homes.  If you’ve lived in an area affected by a winter storm you know how devastating the cold can be. Especially if you run out of wood, which happened to us. We couldn’t complain, though. We had a comforter. A comforter that we may take for granted is more than appreciated during a winter storm. So, too, is a spiritual Comforter when we’re experiencing life’s storms. Second Corinthians 1:3 describes the as Lord as the God of All Comfort. Yes, when a person’s crisp tongue chills us to the core or the howling wind of despair blows through our heart, or we are experiencing a literal storm, the God of all Comfort comforts us like none other. Why?  The Greek word for comfort means “to call to one’s side, speak to, in the way of exhortation, console, teach.” How incredible that God gives every believer the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit. Our Comforter is an abiding presence who will never wear out, never become threadbare, and never leave us. The more we blanket our lives with His teachings, the more we’ll know the warmth of His abiding presence.

 Adapted from Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, page 67.

Sweet friends, you are in my prayers as you suffer through life’s storms.

Heavenly Father, You are the God of all COMFORT! Please comfort all who are suffering. Give them Your wisdom. Bring resources to help them. Strengthen them as only You can. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Thank you for praying for God’s anointing on my speaking on, “Becoming a Leader of Passion and Power” at LIFT Arizona; that women’s ministry leaders would be encouraged, inspired, and equipped as they lead in their respective ministries. 

On a cold winter evening nothing feels as cozy as snuggling in bed under the warmth of a soft comforter. The fact is, though, no blanket compares with who 2 Corinthians 1:3 describes as the God of All Comfort. Yes, when a person’s crisp tongue chills us to the core or the howling wind of despair blows through our heart, it is the God of all comfort who comforts us like no one else. The Greek word for comfort means “to call to one’s side, speak to, in the way of exhortation, console, teach.” How incredible that God gives every believer the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit. Our Comforter is an abiding presence who will never wear out, never become threadbare, and never leave us. The more we cover our lives with His teachings, the more we’ll know the warmth of His presence.

 Adapted from Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, page 67.

LORD, You are the God of all COMFORT! Thank You for the blessing of Your presence!

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On a cold winter evening, nothing feels as cozy as snuggling in bed under the warmth of a soft comforter. The fact is, though, no blanket compares with who 2 Corinthians 1:3 describes as the God of all Comfort. Yes, when a person’s crisp tongue chills us to the core, or the howling wind of despair blows through our heart, it is the God of all comfort who comforts us like no one else. The Greek word for comfort means “to call to one’s side, speak to, in the way of exhortation, console, teach.” How awesome it is that God gives every believer the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit. This Comforter is an abiding presence who will never wear out, never become threadbare, and never leave us. The more we cover our lives with His teachings, the more we’ll know the warmth of His presence.

 Adapted from Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, copyright Debbie Taylor Williams, Howard Books, Simon & Schuester, page 67.

LORD, You are the God of all COMFORT! Thank You for the blessing of Your presence!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the FATHER OF MERCIES and God of all comfort,”

2 Corinthians 1:3

What was or is your father like? Strong? Caring? Harsh? Absent? In today’s verse, God reveals Himself as the FATHER OF MERCIES. As Father, He is the the “originator and transmitter”* of mercy. So when we think about our Heavenly Father, we can be assured that He not only thought about mercy, He actually transmitted it to us in the gift of salvation. Does that cause you to sing His praises?

FATHER of MERCIES, we praise You! Thank You for not just thinking about being merciful, but for extending it to us. We love You.

*http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G3962&t=NASB

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,”

 2 Corinthians 1:3

On a cold winter evening, nothing feels as cozy as snuggling in bed under the warmth of a soft comforter. However, no blanket compares to the God of all Comfort when a person’s crisp tongue chills us to the core, or the howling wind of despair blows through our heart. The Greek word for comfort is parakaleo, which means “to call to one’s side, speak to, in the way of exhortation, console, teach.”¹ How awesome it is that God gives every believer the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit. This Comforter is an abiding presence who will never wear out, never become threadbare, and never leave us. The more we cover our lives with prayer and God’s teachings, the more closely we’ll know the warmth of His abiding presence. (adapted from Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, pg 67)

LORD, You are the God of all COMFORT! We praise You for the blessing of Your presence!

 www.debbietaylorwilliams.com.