Nancy and I were in a store the other day a little before lunch. A mother with two children was on the same aisle. The store put candy bars and snacks on the same aisle as the flowers pots. One of the lady’s children was 3 or 4 years old.
The mother was looking at flower pots. This little boy with curly hair wanted a candy bar, and he was showing her which one. The mother knew he did not need a candy bar just before lunch.
When his mother told him no, he stomped his little foot and did his best impression of the Incredible Hulk. He clenched his fist and flexed his little arms. He grimaced with his face.
The mother did not scold him; she simply called him over to her. He came. She stopped looking at flower pots and began to walk on down the aisle. She also began to rub her son’s head.
Many times in our lives, God, who knows best and wants the best for us, must tell us no. For our own good, God must tell us either we must wait or just plain no.
God is the “God of all comfort,” according to II Corinthians 1:3. Even when He must tell us no, He calls us to Him to comfort us in our disappointments.
More importantly, God comforts us in our grief. As COVID has reminded us, death is a reality for humans. Our physical bodies will not last forever. But, the God of all comfort showed us through the resurrection of Jesus that physical death is not the end. The God of all comfort gives us hope.