Do you remember falling down when you were a young child? Perhaps you cut your hand or scraped your knee. Can you recall how your mother comforted you? Maybe she cleaned the wound and then put a bandage on it. You cried, but her soothing words and warm embrace soon made you feel better. At that time in your life, comfort was never far away.

But life gets more complicated as we get older. The problems get bigger, and comfort becomes harder to find. Adult problems, sad to say, can rarely be solved with a bandage and a mother’s hug. Consider a few examples.

• Have you ever faced the trauma of losing your job? Julian says that when he got fired, the shock left him feeling distraught. ‘How will I care for my family?’ he wondered. ‘After I put in years of hard work, why does the company feel I am useless?’

• Perhaps you are devastated by the breakup of your marriage. “When my husband suddenly left me 18 months ago, I felt a sadness come over me. It was as if my heart had broken in two,” explains Raquel. “The pain was physical as well as emotional. It frightened me.”

• Maybe you have a serious health problem that shows little sign of improving. There may be times when you feel as did the patriarch Job, who lamented: “I loathe my life; I do not want to go on living.” (Job 7:16) Perhaps you share the feelings of Luis, a man in his 80’s, who confessed, “Sometimes I feel that I am just waiting to die.”

• Or possibly it is the death of a loved one that makes you yearn for comfort. “When my son died in a tragic plane accident, my first feeling was disbelief,” explains Robert. “Then came the pain, the pain that the Bible compares to having a long sword run through you.”​—Luke 2:35.

Robert, Luis, Raquel, and Julian did find comfort, even in those distressing circumstances. They found the best Person to provide it​—none other than Almighty God. How does he provide comfort? Will he likewise provide the comfort you need?

The apostle Paul describes Jehovaha as “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our trials.” (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4) Thus the Bible assures us that no person is beyond God’s help and that no tragedy is so great that our heavenly Father cannot comfort us.

Of course, we must do something if we want comfort from God. How could a doctor help us if we never made an appointment to see him? The prophet Amos asks: “Will two walk together unless they have met by appointment?” (Amos 3:3, footnote) The Scriptures therefore urge us: “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.”​—James 4:8.

How can we be sure that God will draw close to us? First of all, because he tells us repeatedly that he wants to help us. (See the accompanying box.) And second, because we have convincing testimony from people whom God has comforted​—real people, both from our time and the past.

Like many today who seek help from God, King David was all too familiar with tragedy. “Hear my pleas when I cry to you for help,” he once begged Jehovah. Did God respond? Yes. David added: “I have received his help, and my heart rejoices.”​—Psalm 28:2, 7.

JESUS’ ROLE IN COMFORTING ALL WHO MOURN

God intended that Jesus have a key role in providing comfort. Among other tasks that God assigned him, Jesus was “to bind up the brokenhearted” and “comfort all who mourn.” (Isaiah 61:1, 2) As foretold, Jesus took a special interest in people who were “toiling and loaded down.”​—Matthew 11:28-30.

Jesus comforted people by giving them wise advice, by treating them kindly, and even, in some cases, by curing their sicknesses. One day a leper pleaded with Jesus: “If you just want to, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus replied: “I want to! Be made clean.” (Mark 1:40, 41) And the leper was healed.

Today, the Son of God is not present on earth to comfort us personally. But his Father, Jehovah, “the God of all comfort,” continues to help those in need. (2 Corinthians 1:3) Consider four principal means that God uses to comfort people.

• The Bible. “All the things that were written beforehand were written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.”​—Romans 15:4.

• God’s Holy Spirit. Not long after Jesus’ death, the whole Christian congregation entered into a period of peace. Why? “It walked in the fear of Jehovah and in the comfort of the holy spirit.” (Acts 9:31) The holy spirit, God’s active force, is very powerful. God can use it to comfort anyone in any circumstance.

• Prayer. “Do not be anxious over anything,” the Bible advises us. Rather, it says, “let your petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers.”​—Philippians 4:6, 7.

• Fellow Christians can provide a comforting ‘safety net’ of true friends. The apostle Paul described his companions as “a source of great comfort” in times of “distress and tribulation.”​—Colossians 4:11; 1 Thessalonians 3:7.

But you may be wondering how all this works in practice. Let us take a closer look at the experiences of people who have faced the problems mentioned at the outset. Like them, you can discover that God still fulfills this heartwarming promise: “As a mother comforts her son, so I will keep comforting you.”​—Isaiah 66:13.

WHEN FACING UNEMPLOYMENT

“My wife and I lost our jobs at the same time,” recalls Seth.a “For two years we had to survive on family handouts and a few odd jobs. As a result, my wife, Priscilla, became depressed, and I felt worthless.

“How did we cope? Priscilla constantly reminded herself of Jesus’ words at Matthew 6:34. He said that we should not become anxious about tomorrow, since each day has its own anxieties. And her heartfelt prayers gave her the strength to keep going. In my case, Psalm 55:22 comforted me. Like the psalmist, I threw my burden on Jehovah, and I found that he did sustain me. Although I now have a job, we keep our lifestyle simple in line with Jesus’ advice at Matthew 6:20-22. Above all, we have drawn closer to God and closer to each other.”

“I was frightened about the future when our small family business went bankrupt,” confesses Jonathan. “Because of an economic crisis, 20 years of hard work came to nothing. My wife and I started arguing about money. We couldn’t even buy with a credit card, for fear it would not be honored.

“But God’s Word and his spirit helped us to make good decisions. I learned to accept any sort of work, and we cut down on all unnecessary expenses. As Jehovah’s Witnesses, we also got support from fellow believers. They bolstered our self-esteem and lent us a helping hand when times were really tough.”

WHEN A MARRIAGE BREAKS UP

“When my husband suddenly left me, I felt hurt and angry,” recalls Raquel. “And a terrible sadness overwhelmed me. But I drew close to God, and he comforted me. The peace of God protected my heart when I turned to him daily in prayer. It seemed to me that he repaired my broken heart.

“And thanks to his Word, the Bible, I conquered feelings of anger and resentment. I took to heart the words of the apostle Paul at Romans 12:21: ‘Do not let yourself be conquered by the evil, but keep conquering the evil with the good.’

“One wise counselor helped me to see the need to move on. He showed me Ecclesiastes 3:6 and kindly told me that there is a time when we have to ‘give up as lost.’ It was tough advice, but it was what I needed. I now have new goals in life.”

“When your marriage breaks up, you need support,” Elizabeth states. “I had a dear friend who gave me that support, day after day. She cried with me, comforted me, and made me feel loved rather than rejected. I am convinced that Jehovah used her to heal my emotional wounds.”

IN TIMES OF SICKNESS OR OLD AGE

Luis, quoted in the opening article of this series, has a serious heart condition, and he almost died on two occasions. He now needs to be on oxygen 16 hours a day. “I pray to Jehovah constantly,” he says. “And after praying to God, I feel his spirit giving me strength. Prayer gives me the courage to keep going because I have faith in him and know that he cares for me.”

“I want to do so many things, but I just can’t,” explains Petra, who is in her 80’s. “Seeing my strength diminish is very hard. I feel drained and have to rely on medication. I often think of the way Jesus asked his Father to let a certain hardship pass by if it was possible. But Jehovah gave Jesus strength, and he strengthens me. Prayer is my daily therapy. I feel much better after talking to God.”​—Matthew 26:39.

Julian, who has been battling multiple sclerosis for nearly 30 years, feels likewise. “I have exchanged an executive’s chair for a wheelchair,” he says. “But my life is worthwhile because it is devoted to serving others. Giving can alleviate suffering, and Jehovah does keep his promise to strengthen us in time of need. Like the apostle Paul, I can truly say: ‘For all things I have the strength through the one who gives me power.’”​—Philippians 4:13.

IN TIMES OF LOSS

“When my father died in a traffic accident, I could not believe it at first,” Antonio recalls. “It seemed so unfair​—he was just an innocent pedestrian. But there was nothing I could do. He was in a coma for five days before he passed away. Somehow, I kept myself from weeping in front of my mother, but I broke down when I was alone. ‘Why? Why?’ I kept asking myself.

“During those dreadful days, I kept asking Jehovah to help me control my emotions and to give me peace. And I gradually felt calmer. I remembered that the Bible explains that ‘unexpected events’ can befall any one of us. Since God cannot lie, I am convinced that I will see my father again in the resurrection.”​—Ecclesiastes 9:11; John 11:25; Titus 1:2.

Robert, mentioned in the opening article, has similar thoughts. He says: “My wife and I experienced the peace of mind spoken of at Philippians 4:6, 7. It came to us through our prayers to Jehovah. This inner peace enabled us to speak to news reporters about our hope of the resurrection. Although the plane crash took the life of our son, we still have many happy memories of times shared together. We try to concentrate on them.

“When fellow Witnesses told us that they had seen us explaining our faith calmly on television, we told them that doubtless it was thanks to so many prayers being offered in our behalf. I truly believe that Jehovah was supporting us by means of their countless messages of comfort.”

As the foregoing examples show, God can provide comfort to people facing a wide range of problems and challenges. What about you? No matter what trouble you may face in life, there is comfort available to help you through the hard times.b So why not turn to Jehovah for help? He is “the God of all comfort.”​—2 Corinthians 1:3.