“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” (v.4)
I have found tremendous comfort in the scriptures. It never seems to matter what I’m going through, in time, God provides His comfort through His WORD to my heart. Patience is the key though and more often than not, His timing is far longer than we might desired to wait. But as scripture tells us, “let patience have it’s perfect work, that we may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:4).
The scriptures also fill us with comfort through the many examples of recorded patience, grace and forgiveness extended to others who were sinners just like us. The prodigal son, the women at the well, the thief on the cross, Paul’s conversion, Peter’s denial, etc. As Matthew West wrote in his song Grace Wins, “There's a war between guilt and grace, and they're fighting for a sacred space, but I'm living proof, Grace wins every time.”
Therefore, as we wait for our prayers for others to be answered, be encouraged by His grace in your life and in the life of those around you, and know that He is working, that He is faithful, and take comfort in the scriptures which are examples for us for our learning, our comfort, and our encouragement. For we serve a mighty God and nothing is impossible with Him.
The Truth: "Praise be to the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." (2 Corinthians 1:3)
