Live Free with Josh Howerton - Comforting Others In Suffering | Ep. 224 | Thursday, December 14, 2023

Episode Date: December 14, 2023

Suffering expands our hearts toward other people. It helps us see the suffering others are going through and enables us to reach out to them during their pain. God makes us wounded healers so that we can comfort others with the comfort He has given us. Who do you know that you can share God’s comfort with today? For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's daily drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. This Christmas, we want to invite you and your family to join us for our candlelight services on December 22nd through 24th at any of our six locations. or for church online. For more information, visit latepoint. com.com slash daily drive.

And now, let's dive in to today's devotional. All right, good morning, everybody, or good afternoon or good night, wherever you are. And whatever you're doing, thanks for joining us on the Daily Drive podcast. My name is Bro, and we've been talking this week

about how God uses tough things we go through to bring about ultimate good in our lives. Now, if you've missed any of the episodes, I'd encourage you to go back and check them out, We've been hanging in the promise of Romans chapter 8, verse 28 and 29. Let me read it again. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his son. We've been talking about how God is working behind the scenes, in the dark, even when we can't see it, to bring about good in our life. And his definition of good is whatever makes you imagine. me more like Jesus. And if that could happen to you and me, man, talk about good. We've listed so far about five or six good things that suffering can accomplish in us. Today, I want to add this one. Suffering expands our hearts toward other people. Suffering just has this way of expanding our hearts, expanding our compassion. It has this unique way of breaking down barriers of wealth,

education, race, class, gender. I mean, everybody sitting in an ICU waiting room or a funeral home or a divorce court is sailing in the same boat through the same rough waters. To go through painful things to suffer, it doesn't mean you're cursed. It means that you're human. I mean, we are in this broken, toxic, groaning world thing together. I like the way Anne Voskamp, who has gone through so much loss in her own life. So eloquently puts this, she says this, suffer.

Cracks the heart to tenderly see and truly stand with the ache of all humans. Suffering lets the soul see, see the deep suffering around us, see the deep suffering within us, and see the suffering Savior who deeply absorbs all suffering and carries us home where there is no suffering forevermore. See, personal pain can increase our capacity to reach out to other people in their pain. I mean, the resume of every effective counselor includes suffering. God recycles that pain, and we can actually become these wounded healers. And I know so many people who are like that. You know what?

Someday you're going to find yourself. You're going to find yourself sitting across the table or across the living room or the locker room with someone who needs somebody exactly like you to be sitting there because you've been where they're at. And in that moment, you're going to think, this is so cool. I never dreamed that God would use my pain to help somebody else. I can't believe the way he is using me in this moment. I am so grateful. This guy named Paul who went through unspeakable, tough stuff in his life, wrote this. In 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 4, God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort

others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given, us. Listen, God never, ever waste a hurt. He recycles it for good in some way in someone else's life. And he wants to do that in and through you today. Now, there's a ton of ways that suffering accomplishes good in our lives, but I want to wrap this up tomorrow talking about one more very, very significant one. So come back tomorrow and hope you have a great day and be on the lookout for somebody that could use a compassionate friend like you today. Have a great day. See you tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship,

join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out? For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.combe. slash daily drive.