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“Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.  Isaiah 40:1

Who do you know today who is suffering?  Perhaps you know someone who is in an unhappy marriage, or a fellow church member who has a chronic illness and needs a ray of hope.  Or, do you know a neighbor who is lonely, or a co-worker who just found out he has cancer?  God’s directive is clear, “Comfort that hurting person.”

In the Greek, the word “comfort” means literally “to come alongside.”

I love the story which Ben Patterson tells in his book, Waiting:  Finding Hope When God Seems Silent

A little boy was awaken at 3am by a nightmare.  He called “Daddy!  Daddy!”

His father groggily answered, “What is it, Andy?”

“I had a bad dream!  I’m scared.”

 “Just go back to sleep, buddy.  It was just a dream.”

 “But I want you to come and be with me.”

 Daddy groaned, “Just go back to sleep, Andy.  God is with you.”

 Another brief silence, then, “But tonight I want somebody with skin on!”

What a wonderful way to describe the impact a Christian caregiver can have on someone.  “God with skin”

Show up.  Be there today to give comfort to someone who is suffering.  Please be “God with skin” to someone today.

Photo credit: Jonathan Cohen