God our Comforter

Today’s verse: “I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.” Jeremiah 31:13b (NLT)

God is the great Comforter. At first, when we were focusing on that last night in our YIPPS prayer time, I struggled with knowing how that related to my kids. Besides the death of a great-grandparent three years ago, and the many hamsters, fish, turtles, and hermit crabs we’ve “laid to rest”, my children haven’t been faced with huge losses in their lives. For this, I’m truly grateful.

However, as we went to prayer last night, giving God thanks for being our Comforter, I was reminded that there are probably things in my children’s lives that need God’s loving touch and comfort. Some of those things I may be totally unaware of. Broken friendships, hurtful lies, feelings of worthlessness, rejection, or fear could all be on the list. And as they grow older, I’m sure that those feelings are intensified and can snowball into something “huge” in their minds, and they may not always know how to handle them. Unfortunately, so many youth turn to unhealthy things to fill this hurt in their hearts.

• Drugs & Alcohol
• Cutting
• Huffing (Inhalent Abuse)
• Premarital Sex
• Suicide

Here’s just a few statistics I found today...

• In the U.S., it's estimated that one in every 200 girls between 13 and 19 years old, or one-half of one percent, cut themselves regularly. Those who cut comprise about 70 percent of teen girls who self injure.
• Nearly 5,000 teenagers commit suicide each year.
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death among those aged 15-24.

The hurts must feel so great in order to get to this point of tragedy in a person’s life. I pray that my children never have something so great in their lives that they are moved to try one some of these things to cover up the feelings down in their hearts. I pray for God’s protection over them. At the same time, I ask for God’s guidance that I can be aware of the signs that may appear when my kids are hurting (because they will go through things that cause pain). If it won’t be me, I hope that there are other people in my children’s lives that recognize the signs of them crying out for help. They need to know how to go to God who showers His people with comfort, and can be the Healer of their deepest pain.

God is the only one who can turn their sorrows into joy.
Be their comforter, dear Jesus!

Lord, turn my children’s mourning into joy. Comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing. Protect them, dear Jesus, from things that will bring deep hurt and cause them to feel the need to go find relief and happiness in other things. They will have trials and tribulations in this world, but you can help them overcome each and every one of them. I pray Lord, that with each tear, they look to you for comfort, understanding, peace, and strength. May they find in you a listening ear, a compassionate heart, and the balm to their soul. Lord, help me as a parent to recognize the danger signs of deep wounds, and give me the wisdom to know how to meet their needs in those circumstances. Place encouragers in their lives that show them how to go you, Jesus, and lay all their cares at your feet. Lord, be their Protector, Comforter, Healer, and true Joy. For this I pray in earnest…Amen.