THE UPPER ROOM DEVOTIONAL 22ND AUGUST 2025, FRIDAY MESSAGE
Comfort and Help.
Barbara Culley (Washington, USA)
Today’s Reading
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
KEY VERSE: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . 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 1:3-4 (NIV)
TODAY’S MESSAGE:
I stood outside the hospital room where my father lay dying. As tears ran down my cheeks, relentless, crashing waves of grief threatened to crush me in a flood of emotions. My heart cried out to God in that brutal moment: “Please, God, please! Please, help my dad. Please, help me.”
As my tears continued to flow, I felt the warmth of God’s presence around me. God answered my desperate prayer and gave me the peace I needed to return to my father’s bedside. A few days later my dad passed away, but God continued to comfort me with the knowledge that my dad was with Jesus and that his pain was gone.
God now helps me to reach out with compassion as I speak to friends who are experiencing their own losses. I pray for them, asking God to provide them with the comfort God gave to me. I speak with empathy from having walked through painful loss. I talk about the kindness of God, who is tender to the brokenhearted, and I share scripture that speaks of God’s care, comfort, and presence. When there are no words to say, I simply offer a peaceful presence for those who are hurting.
God can bring good out of painful seasons by teaching us to comfort others.
Today’s Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for comforting us in life’s storms. Help us share the comfort we have received with others who are suffering. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Thought for the Day
God comforts me in painful seasons so that I can comfort others.
Prayer Focus
Someone who needs my presence
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More from Barbara Culley
The Upper Room Devotional 22nd August 2025, is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. Read More