Where Can True Comfort Be Found?

“The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . comforts us in all our tribulation.”​—2 CORINTHIANS 1:3, 4.

1. What circumstances may cause people to feel a great need for comfort?

CRIPPLING illness may leave a person feeling that his life is in ruins. Earthquakes, storms, and famine leave people destitute. War may result in the death of family members, may destroy homes, or may force homeowners to abandon possessions. Injustice may make people feel that there is no place to which they can turn for relief. Those affected by such woes are desperately in need of comfort. Where can it be found?

2. Why is the comfort provided by Jehovah unique?

² Some individuals and organizations endeavor to provide comfort. Kind words are appreciated. Physical relief efforts help to meet short-term needs. But only Jehovah, the true God, can undo all the damage and provide the sort of help that is needed so that such calamities will never occur again. Regarding him, the Bible says: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those in any sort of tribulation through the comfort with which we ourselves are being comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4) How does Jehovah comfort us?

Getting at the Root of the Problems

3. How does the comfort that God gives get at the root of mankind’s problems?

³ The entire human family inherited imperfection as a result of Adam’s sin, and that gives rise to countless problems that eventually lead to death. (Romans 5:12) The situation is aggravated by the fact that Satan the Devil is “the ruler of this world.” (John 12:31; 1 John 5:19) Jehovah did more than express sorrow over the unhappy situation that confronts humankind. He sent his only-begotten Son as a ransom to provide deliverance, and He told us that we can be relieved of the effects of Adamic sin if we exercise faith in His Son. (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10) God also foretold that Jesus Christ, who has been entrusted with all authority in heaven and on earth, will destroy Satan and his entire wicked system of things.​—Matthew 28:18; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 6:2; 20:10.

4. (a) What has Jehovah provided to strengthen our confidence in his promises of relief? (b) How does Jehovah help us to discern when the relief will come?

⁴ To strengthen our confidence in his promises, God has preserved abundant evidence that whatever he foretells comes to pass. (Joshua 23:14) He included in the Bible a record of what he has done to deliver his servants in the face of humanly impossible odds. (Exodus 14:4-31; 2 Kings 18:13–19:37) And through Jesus Christ, Jehovah demonstrated that his purpose includes healing people of “every sort of infirmity,” even resurrecting the dead. (Matthew 9:35; 11:3-6) When will all of this take place? In answer, the Bible contains a description of the last days of this old system, which precede God’s new heavens and new earth. Jesus’ description matches the times we are living in.​—Matthew 24:3-14; 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

Comfort to a People in Distress

5. When giving comfort to ancient Israel, to what did Jehovah direct their attention?

⁵ From the way that Jehovah dealt with ancient Israel, we learn how he brought comfort to them in times of distress. He reminded them of the kind of God he is. This strengthened their confidence in his promises. Jehovah caused his prophets to use vivid contrasts between him as the true and living God and idols, which could help neither themselves nor their worshipers. (Isaiah 41:10; 46:1; Jeremiah 10:2-15) When telling Isaiah, “Comfort, comfort my people,” Jehovah moved his prophet to use illustrations and descriptions of His works of creation in order to emphasize the greatness of Jehovah as the only true God.​—Isaiah 40:1-31.

6. What indications did Jehovah sometimes give as to when deliverance would be experienced?

⁶ On occasion, Jehovah gave comfort by specifying a time, near or distant, when his people would be delivered. As the deliverance from Egypt drew near, he told the oppressed Israelites: “One plague more I am going to bring upon Pharaoh and Egypt. After that he will send you away from here.” (Exodus 11:1) When a three-nation alliance invaded Judah in the days of King Jehoshaphat, Jehovah told them that He would intervene in their behalf “tomorrow.” (2 Chronicles 20:1-4, 14-17) Their deliverance from Babylon, on the other hand, was recorded by Isaiah nearly 200 years in advance, and further details were provided through Jeremiah almost a hundred years before the deliverance occurred. How encouraging those prophecies were to God’s servants when the time for deliverance drew near!​—Isaiah 44:26–45:3; Jeremiah 25:11-14.

7. What was often included in the promises of deliverance, and how did this affect faithful people in Israel?

⁷ It is of note that the promises that brought comfort to God’s people frequently contained information about the Messiah. (Isaiah 53:1-12) Generation after generation, this imparted hope to faithful people as they faced numerous trials. At Luke 2:25, we read: “Look! there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was righteous and reverent, waiting for Israel’s consolation [or, comfort; actually, the coming of the Messiah], and holy spirit was upon him.” Simeon knew the Messianic hope set out in the Scriptures, and expectation of its fulfillment shaped his life. He did not understand how it would all work out, and he personally did not live to see the foretold salvation become a reality, but he rejoiced when he identified the One who would prove to be God’s “means of saving.”​—Luke 2:30.

Comfort Provided Through Christ

8. How did the help that Jesus gave compare with what many people thought they needed?

⁸ As Jesus Christ carried out his earthly ministry, he did not always provide the help that the people thought they needed. Some longed for a Messiah who would free them from the hated yoke of Rome. But Jesus did not advocate revolution; he told them to “pay back . . . Caesar’s things to Caesar.” (Matthew 22:21) God’s purpose involved far more than liberating people from being dominated by some political regime. The people wanted to make Jesus king, but he said that he would “give his soul a ransom in exchange for many.” (Matthew 20:28; John 6:15) It was not yet the time for him to assume kingship, and the authority for him to rule was going to be conferred on him by Jehovah, not by restless crowds.

9. (a) What was the message of comfort that Jesus proclaimed? (b) How did Jesus demonstrate the relevance of the message to the situations that people were personally facing? (c) For what did Jesus’ ministry lay a basis?

⁹ The comfort that Jesus brought was embodied in “the good news of the kingdom of God.” This was the message Jesus proclaimed wherever he went. (Luke 4:43) He emphasized the relevance of that message to people’s everyday problems by demonstrating what he as the Messianic Ruler would do for mankind. He gave suffering individuals renewed reason to live by restoring sight and speech (Matthew 12:22; Mark 10:51, 52), curing disabled limbs (Mark 2:3-12), cleansing fellow Israelites of loathsome diseases (Luke 5:12, 13), and relieving them of other grievous sicknesses. (Mark 5:25-29) He brought great relief to grieving family members by raising their children from the dead. (Luke 7:11-15; 8:49-56) He demonstrated his ability to control dangerous storms and to satisfy the needs of large crowds for food. (Mark 4:37-41; 8:2-9) Moreover, Jesus taught them principles of living that could help them to deal constructively with existing problems and that would fill hearts with hope for righteous rulership under the Messiah. Thus as Jesus carried on his ministry, he not only comforted those who listened with faith but also laid a basis for encouraging people for thousands of years to come.

10. What is made possible as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice?

¹⁰ More than 60 years after Jesus had laid down his human life in sacrifice and been resurrected to heavenly life, the apostle John was inspired to write: “My little children, I am writing you these things that you may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one. And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s.” (1 John 2:1, 2) Because of the benefits of Jesus’ perfect human sacrifice, we are greatly comforted. We know that we can have forgiveness of sins, a clean conscience, an approved relationship with God, and the prospect of eternal life.​—John 14:6; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:24-28; 1 Peter 3:21.

The Holy Spirit as Comforter

11. What further provision for comfort did Jesus promise before his death?

¹¹ While with his apostles on the last evening before his sacrificial death, Jesus spoke about yet another provision that his heavenly Father had made to comfort them. Jesus said: “I will request the Father and he will give you another helper [comforter; Greek, pa·raʹkle·tos] to be with you forever, the spirit of the truth.” Jesus assured them: “The helper, the holy spirit, . . . will teach you all things and bring back to your minds all the things I told you.” (John 14:16, 17, 26) How did the holy spirit actually bring comfort to them?

12. How has the role of the holy spirit as an aid to the memory of Jesus’ disciples helped to bring comfort to many?

¹² The apostles had received extensive teaching by Jesus. They would certainly never forget the experience, but would they remember what he actually said? Would important instructions be lost because of their imperfect memories? Jesus assured them that the holy spirit would ‘bring back to their minds all the things he had told them.’ Thus, some eight years after Jesus’ death, Matthew was able to write the first Gospel, in which he recorded Jesus’ heartwarming Sermon on the Mount, his numerous illustrations concerning the Kingdom, and his detailed discussion of the sign of his presence. More than 50 years later, the apostle John was able to write a reliable account filled with extensive details about the last few days of Jesus’ earthly life. How encouraging these inspired records have been right down to our day!

13. How did the holy spirit serve as a teacher to early Christians?

¹³ More than simply bringing words back to their minds, the holy spirit taught the disciples and guided them to a fuller understanding of God’s purpose. While Jesus was yet with his disciples, he told them things that they did not then clearly understand. Later, however, moved by holy spirit, John, Peter, James, Jude, and Paul wrote explanations of further developments in God’s purpose. Thus the holy spirit served as a teacher, giving valuable assurance of divine direction.

14. In what ways did the holy spirit help Jehovah’s people?

¹⁴ The miraculous gifts of the spirit also helped to make clear that God had transferred his favor from fleshly Israel to the Christian congregation. (Hebrews 2:4) The fruitage of that spirit in the lives of individuals was also an important factor in identifying those who truly were Jesus’ disciples. (John 13:35; Galatians 5:22-24) And the spirit strengthened the members of that congregation to be bold and fearless witnesses.​—Acts 4:31.

Help When Under Extreme Pressure

15. (a) What pressures have been faced by Christians past and present? (b) Why may those who give encouragement sometimes be in need of receiving it?

¹⁵ All who are devoted to Jehovah and who are loyal to him experience persecution of some sort. (2 Timothy 3:12) However, many Christians have come under pressure that is extremely severe. In modern times, some have been hounded by mobs and thrown into concentration camps, prisons, and labor camps under inhuman conditions. Governments have taken on the role of active persecutors, or they have allowed lawless elements to run wild with impunity. Further, Christians have faced grave health problems or serious family crises. Pressure may also be experienced by a mature Christian who helps one fellow believer after another to deal with difficult situations. In such cases, the one who gives encouragement may also be in need of receiving it.

16. When David was under great pressure, how did he receive help?

¹⁶ When King Saul was pursuing David to kill him, David turned to God as his Helper: “O God, hear my prayer,” he begged. “In the shadow of your wings I take refuge.” (Psalm 54:2, 4; 57:1) Did David receive help? Yes, he did. During that period, Jehovah used Gad the prophet and Abiathar the priest to convey direction to David, and He used Jonathan the son of Saul to strengthen the young man. (1 Samuel 22:1, 5; 23:9-13, 16-18) Jehovah also allowed the Philistines to make a raid on the land, thus diverting Saul from his pursuit.​—1 Samuel 23:27, 28.

17. Under intense pressure, where did Jesus turn for help?

¹⁷ Jesus Christ was himself under intense pressure as the end of his earthly life drew near. He was fully aware of how his conduct could affect the name of his heavenly Father and of what it could mean to the future of all humankind. He prayed earnestly, even “getting into an agony.” God saw that Jesus received the support that he needed during that difficult time.​—Luke 22:41-44.

18. What comfort did God give to early Christians who were severely persecuted?

¹⁸ So vicious was the persecution of Christians after the founding of the first-century congregation that all except the apostles were dispersed from Jerusalem. Men and women were physically dragged from their homes. What comfort did God provide them? The assurance from his Word that they had “a better and an abiding possession,” an unfailing inheritance in the heavens with Christ. (Hebrews 10:34; Ephesians 1:18-20) As they continued to preach, they saw evidence that God’s spirit was with them, and their experiences gave them further reason to rejoice.​—Matthew 5:11, 12; Acts 8:1-40.

19. Though Paul suffered severe persecution, how did he feel about the comfort that God gives?

¹⁹ In time, Saul (Paul), who himself had been a violent persecutor, became an object of persecution because he had become a Christian. On the island of Cyprus, there was a sorcerer who tried to hinder Paul’s ministry by resorting to fraud and distortion. In Galatia, Paul was stoned and left for dead. (Acts 13:8-10; 14:19) In Macedonia he was beaten with rods. (Acts 16:22, 23) After mob violence in Ephesus, he wrote: “We were under extreme pressure beyond our strength, so that we were very uncertain even of our lives. In fact, we felt within ourselves that we had received the sentence of death.” (2 Corinthians 1:8, 9) But in that same letter, Paul wrote those comforting words quoted in paragraph 2 of this article.​—2 Corinthians 1:3, 4.

20. What are we going to consider in the next article?

²⁰ How can you share in giving such comfort? There are many in our day who need it when experiencing grief, either because of a calamity that strikes many thousands or because of tribulation that afflicts only them. In the following article, we will consider how to give comfort in either case.

Give Comfort to Those Who Grieve

“Jehovah has anointed me . . . to comfort all the mourning ones.”​—ISAIAH 61:1, 2.

1, 2. To whom should we give comfort, and why?

JEHOVAH, the God of all real comfort, teaches us to be concerned when others experience calamity. He teaches us to “speak consolingly to the depressed souls” and to comfort all who mourn. (1 Thessalonians 5:14) When such help is needed, we provide it for fellow worshipers. We also show love to those outside the congregation, even to those who may not have given evidence of any love for us in the past.​—Matthew 5:43-48; Galatians 6:10.

² Jesus Christ read and applied to himself the prophetic commission: “The spirit of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah is upon me, for the reason that Jehovah has anointed me to tell good news to the meek ones. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, . . . to comfort all the mourning ones.” (Isaiah 61:1, 2; Luke 4:16-19) Modern-day anointed Christians have long recognized that this commission also applies to them, and the “other sheep” gladly join them in that work.​—John 10:16.

3. When people ask, “Why does God permit calamities?,” how might we help them?

³ When disasters strike and people are left brokenhearted, they often ask, “Why does God permit calamities?” The Bible clearly answers that question. However, it may take time for someone who has not been a student of the Bible to appreciate the answer fully. Help is provided in the publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses.a As a start, however, it has proved to be a comfort to some people just to see in the Bible a text such as the one found at Isaiah 61:1, 2, since it expresses God’s desire for humans to receive comfort.

4. How was a Witness in Poland able to help a distressed schoolgirl, and how can that experience help you to help others?

⁴ Young people, as well as older ones, need comfort. A depressed teenager in Poland asked an acquaintance for advice. With gentle probing, the friend, who is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, learned that the girl was overwhelmed with questions and doubts: “Why is there so much evil? Why do people suffer? Why does my paralyzed sister suffer? Why is my heart not healthy? The Church says that God wants it so. But if this is the case, I will stop believing in him!” The Witness prayed silently to Jehovah and then said: “I am glad that you asked me about this. I will try to help you.” She related that she had her own doubts as a child and that Jehovah’s Witnesses helped her. She explained: “I learned that God does not make people suffer. He loves them, wants what is best for them, and will soon bring about major changes on the earth. Sickness, the problems of old age, and death will be gone, and obedient people will live forever​—right here on this planet.” She showed the girl Revelation 21:3, 4; Job 33:25; Isaiah 35:5-7 and 65:21-25. After a long discussion, the girl said, with evident relief: “Now I know what I live for. May I come to see you again?” A Bible study was held with her twice a week.

With the Comfort God Gives

5. When we express sympathy, what will provide real comfort?

⁵ When we seek to comfort others, words of sympathy are certainly in order. We endeavor to convey to the grieving person by word and tone of voice that we deeply care about his situation. This is not accomplished by the use of hollow platitudes. The Bible tells us that “through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) In view of this, we can explain at a suitable time what God’s Kingdom is, and we can show from the Bible how it will solve present problems. Then we can reason on why it is a dependable hope. In this way, we will impart comfort.

6. What should we help people to appreciate so that they can get the full benefit from the comfort in the Scriptures?

⁶ To get the full benefit from the comfort offered, a person needs to know the true God, the kind of Person he is, and the dependability of his promises. When we seek to help a person who is not already a worshiper of Jehovah, it is good to explain the following points. (1) The comfort found in the Bible is from Jehovah, the true God. (2) Jehovah is the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth. He is a God of love and is abundant in loving-kindness and truth. (3) We can be strengthened to deal with situations if we draw close to God by gaining accurate knowledge from his Word. (4) The Bible contains scriptures that relate to specific trials faced by different individuals.

7. (a) What can be accomplished by emphasizing that the comfort God gives “abounds through the Christ”? (b) How might you comfort someone who realizes that his conduct has been bad?

⁷ Some have conveyed a spiritual blessing to grieving ones who are acquainted with the Bible by reading 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. When doing so, they have emphasized the expression “the comfort we get also abounds through the Christ.” This scripture may help a person to realize that the Bible is a source of comfort to which he ought to give more consideration. It can also provide the basis for further discussion, perhaps on other occasions. If a person feels that his troubles are the result of bad things he has done, then we might tell him, without being judgmental, that it is a comfort to know what is recorded at 1 John 2:1, 2 and Psalm 103:11-14. In these ways we truly comfort others with the comfort that God gives.

When Life Is Marred by Violence or Economic Hardship

8, 9. How can comfort appropriately be given to people who have suffered violence?

⁸ The lives of countless millions have been marred by violence​—criminal violence in a community or the violence of war. How can we comfort them?

⁹ True Christians take care that in neither word nor deed do they take sides with one faction or the other in the world’s conflicts. (John 17:16) But they appropriately use the Bible to show that present harsh conditions will not go on forever. They may read Psalm 11:5 to show how Jehovah feels about those who love violence or Psalm 37:1-4 to point out God’s encouragement not to take it upon ourselves to repay in kind but to trust in God. The words of Psalm 72:12-14 show how the Greater Solomon, Jesus Christ, now ruling as heavenly King, feels about innocent people who suffer violence.

10. If you have lived through years of warfare, how can the cited scriptures comfort you?

¹⁰ Some people have lived through one conflict after another as contending factions fought for control. They take for granted that war and its aftermath are a part of life. The only hopeful prospect they see is that things might be better for them if they could escape to another land. But most of them never succeed in doing that, and a number who have tried have lost their lives in the attempt. Those who do get to another land often find that they have simply exchanged one set of problems for another. Psalm 146:3-6 might be used to help such people to place their hope in something more reliable than emigrating. The prophecy at Matthew 24:3, 7, 14 or 2 Timothy 3:1-5 might help them to see the bigger picture and the meaning of the conditions they are enduring, namely, that we are living in the conclusion of the old system of things. Such texts as Psalm 46:1-3, 8, 9 and Isaiah 2:2-4 might help them to realize that there truly is hope for a peaceful future.

11. What texts comforted a woman in West Africa, and why?

¹¹ During a period of ongoing war in West Africa, a woman fled from her home under a hail of bullets. Her life came to be filled with fear, sadness, and heartbreaking disappointment. Later, while the family was living in another country, her husband decided to burn their marriage certificate, send away his then pregnant wife and their ten-year-old son, and become a priest. When Philippians 4:6, 7 and Psalm 55:22 were shared with her, along with Scriptural articles from The Watchtower and Awake!, she at last found comfort and a purpose in life.

12. (a) What relief do the Scriptures offer to those who are hard-pressed economically? (b) How was a Witness in Asia able to help a customer?

¹² Economic ruin has spoiled the lives of many millions of people. Sometimes this too is because of war and its aftermath. At other times, unwise government policies and greed and dishonesty by those in power have combined to wipe out savings and have forced people to forfeit their possessions. Others have never had many of this world’s goods. All such can be comforted to know that God assures relief for those who trust in him and guarantees a righteous world in which people will enjoy the work of their hands. (Psalm 146:6, 7; Isaiah 65:17, 21-23; 2 Peter 3:13) When a Witness in one Asian land heard a customer express anxious concern over the economic situation there, she explained that what was happening there was part of a pattern of events occurring around the world. A discussion of Matthew 24:3-14 and Psalm 37:9-11 led to a regular Bible study.

13. (a) When people have been disappointed by empty promises, how might we use the Bible to help them? (b) If people feel that bad conditions prove that there is no God, how might you endeavor to reason with them?

¹³ When people have suffered for many years or have been disappointed by many hollow promises, they may be like the Israelites in Egypt who “out of discouragement” did not listen. (Exodus 6:9) In such cases, it may be beneficial to highlight ways in which the Bible can help them to cope successfully with present problems and to avoid pitfalls that needlessly spoil life for many. (1 Timothy 4:8b) Some may view the bad conditions they live under as proof that there is no God or that he does not care about them. You might reason on appropriate scriptures to help them to realize that God has provided help but many have not accepted it.​—Isaiah 48:17, 18.

When Faced With Storms and Earthquakes

14, 15. When one disaster left many in a state of shock, how did Jehovah’s Witnesses show their concern?

¹⁴ Disaster may strike as a result of a storm, an earthquake, a fire, or an explosion. Grief may be widespread. What can be done to bring comfort to survivors?

¹⁵ People need to know that someone cares. After a terrorist attack in one country, many were left in a state of shock. A number of them lost family members, breadwinners, friends, employment, or whatever sense of security they thought they had. Jehovah’s Witnesses reached out to those in their communities, expressing sympathy for their great losses and offering words of comfort from the Bible. Many deeply appreciated the concern.

16. When disaster struck a region in El Salvador, why was the field service of local Witnesses very effective?

¹⁶ In El Salvador a strong earthquake in 2001 was followed by a massive mud slide that claimed many lives. The 25-year-old son of a Witness and two sisters of the son’s fiancée were killed. The mother of the young man along with his fiancée promptly got busy in the field service. Many said to them that it was God who took those who died or that it was God’s will. The Witnesses quoted Proverbs 10:22 to show that God does not want us to have pain. They read Romans 5:12 to show that death was brought through the sin of man, not because it is the will of God. They also pointed to the message of comfort found at Psalm 34:18, Psalm 37:29, Isaiah 25:8, and Revelation 21:3, 4. People readily listened, especially since the two women themselves had lost family members in the disaster, and many Bible studies were started.

17. In times of disaster, what kinds of help may we give?

¹⁷ When disaster strikes, you may encounter someone who is in need of immediate physical help. This may involve calling a doctor, helping a person to get to a clinic, or doing whatever is possible to provide food and shelter. In 1998 during one such disaster in Italy, a journalist observed that Jehovah’s Witnesses “operate in a practical way, holding out a hand to those who suffer, without worrying about which religion they belong to.” In some areas, events prophesied for the last days cause great suffering. In those places, Jehovah’s Witnesses point out the Bible prophecies, and they comfort people with the Bible’s assurance that the Kingdom of God will bring true security to mankind.​—Proverbs 1:33; Micah 4:4.

When a Family Member Has Died

18-20. When there has been a death in a family, what might you say or do to bring comfort?

¹⁸ Every day millions of people grieve over the death of a loved one. You may meet those who mourn when you are sharing in the Christian ministry or when caring for the affairs of daily life. What can you say or do that will bring comfort?

¹⁹ Is the person in emotional turmoil? Is the house filled with grieving relatives? There may be much that you would like to say, but discretion is important. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7) Perhaps the fitting thing is to express sympathy, leave an appropriate Bible publication (a brochure, a magazine, or a tract), and then call after a few days to see whether further help can be given. At a suitable time, offer to share some encouraging thoughts from the Bible. This can have a calming and healing effect. (Proverbs 16:24; 25:11) You cannot raise the dead, as Jesus did. But you can share what the Bible says about the condition of the dead, though this may not be the time to try to refute wrong views. (Psalm 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; Ezekiel 18:4) You can read together the Bible’s promises regarding the resurrection. (John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15) You might discuss what these mean, possibly using a Biblical report of a resurrection to do so. (Luke 8:49-56; John 11:39-44) Also draw attention to the qualities of the loving God who gives us such a hope. (Job 14:14, 15; John 3:16) Explain how these teachings have benefited you and why you have confidence in them.

²⁰ An invitation to the Kingdom Hall may help the grieving one to get to know people who truly love their neighbors and who know how to build one another up. A woman in Sweden found that this is what she had been looking for all her life.​—John 13:35; 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

21, 22. (a) What is required of us if we are to give comfort? (b) How can you give comfort to someone who already knows the Scriptures well?

²¹ When you know that someone is experiencing grief, whether inside the Christian congregation or outside, do you at times feel unsure about what to say or do? The Greek word often rendered “comfort” in the Bible literally means “a calling to one’s side.” Being a true comforter implies making yourself available to those who are grieving.​—Proverbs 17:17.

²² What if the person you want to comfort already knows what the Bible says about death, the ransom, and the resurrection? The very presence of a friend who shares the same beliefs can be comforting. If he wants to talk, be a good listener. Do not feel that you need to give a speech. If scriptures are read, treat these as expressions of God that strengthen the hearts of both of you. Express the strong conviction that both of you have in the certainty of what they promise. By reflecting godly compassion and by sharing the precious truths contained in God’s Word, you can help those who are grieving to draw consolation and strength from “the God of all comfort,” Jehovah.​—2 Corinthians 1:3.

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