The Next Level

When you were young, who did you go to for comfort? Who was strong enough to hold you and carry you? Who made you feel the safest? Who made every hurt go away?

As we grow older, we lose some of the bonds we had when we were younger. We don’t sit on the laps of grandparents or snuggle with aunts and uncles. We might not get the same comfort from those people as we did when we were little. We might even feel like we’re too old to be comforted—or worse, that no one is large enough to hold us and our problems now.

But God is there for us like trusted adults were there for us when we were younger. Even if we’ve lost some of the people we were close to during childhood, even if we feel like adults can’t help us with the kinds of problems we’re facing, even if we’re too big to sit in anybody’s lap…we never grow out of God’s lap.

Our wounds may be different now (a kiss on a boo-boo works for a baby or toddler, but how do you heal a broken heart after a breakup?), but God’s love is the same. He longs to enfold us in His arms, to soothe our every hurt, to listen to us cry. He won’t scold us for being childish. He won’t tell us to just get over it. No, God identifies with all our hurts, no matter how big or small they may seem to us. Jesus knows firsthand what it’s like to be human, including what it’s like to grow up. Even if the adults in our lives don’t have solutions for our problems, God does. He understands all our problems, and He is always there offering us comfort. • Emily Acker

• How have your relationships with trusted adults changed as you’ve gotten older?

• Even though humans can’t be our savior (that’s Jesus’s job), God still calls us to be in community with fellow Christians. In fact, this is one of the ways we receive God’s comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). And when people disappoint us, God remains trustworthy. How has Jesus made it possible for us imperfect humans to be in community? (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)

• In what area of your life do you need comfort today? If you’re ready, take a moment to imagine crawling up onto God’s lap and receiving His comfort.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Phil.4.10-Phil.4.13|1Tim.6.6-1Tim.6.16