and testimony to comfort others. Jesus said that a particular blind man had been allowed thus to suffer in order that "the work of God might be displayed in his life" (John 9:3, NIV). God might work in your life through suffering to inspire others by your example in handling the adversity. Those who endure adversity can sympathize and identify more effectively with others who suffer. We comfort others in the way we are comforted: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" (2 Corinthians 1:3–4, NIV).
Helping Strategy For the Non-Christian:
1. Be sympathetic. Listen carefully as the inquirer articulates his or her problems. Guide the conversation so that you can offer spiritual help.
2. Offer encouragement and hope. God loves the inquirer and knows what is happening. He or she is not alone: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you" (Isaiah 43:2). Tell the person you are glad he or she called, and that, by working together, you should be able to find an answer to the situation.
3. Ask if he or she has ever received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Sometimes God permits affliction in order to get our attention and bring us to salvation. Share "Steps to Peace with God," page 11.
4. Pray with the inquirer for salvation and deliverance.
5. Encourage the inquirer to read and study the Bible. Praying will provide strength and perspective on the problems in life. Offer to send Living in Christ, which will provide a good starting place for serious Bible study.
6. Recommend finding a Bible-teaching church. Fellowship with committed Christians will have a maturing influence. The church can also provide opportunities for Bible study and Christian service. For the Christian: If the inquirer is distressed because of some tragedy or suffering, discuss possible reasons why God may have allowed it.
1. Sympathize with the caller. Encourage him or her by offering God's comfort. You may share some of the insights from "Reasons for Human Suffering," above. Apply those which seem suitable.