Leaning on the God of All Comfort

Pastor Glen Lim | 9 August 2026
Series: Holding On When Life Feels Heavy

Life can change without warning.

One moment, everything seems secure. Our family is doing well, our job feels stable, relationships are strong and our plans appear to be moving in the right direction. Then something unexpected happens. A job disappears. A relationship becomes strained. Someone we love falls sick. A financial problem emerges. Suddenly, the security we thought we had begins to shake.

In this message, Pastor Glen Lim begins a new sermon series, “Holding On When Life Feels Heavy,” connected to Elim Church’s 2026 theme, “Be Anxious for Nothing.”

His message asks a simple but important question: When life becomes heavy, what are we leaning on?

When Life Suddenly Changes

Pastor Glen reminds us that those who have lived long enough know how quickly circumstances can change.

We may try to find security in people, plans, finances, our own abilities, social media, institutions or other sources of help. Some of these things may genuinely help us, but none of them can provide the permanent security that God provides.

When life becomes difficult, God’s invitation is simple:

Lean on Me.

Leaning on God means recognising that we were never meant to carry everything ourselves. It means bringing our worries, anxieties and burdens to Him instead of continually trying to solve every problem through our own strength.

As Scripture tells us, we can cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us.

Pastor Glen’s central message is that when life becomes tough, heavy or difficult, God wants us to lean on Him because He alone can truly comfort, restore, heal, strengthen and sustain us.

1. God Sees, Knows and Understands Our Pain

Drawing from 2 Corinthians 1:3–4, Pastor Glen points us to God as “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.”

Sometimes suffering can leave us feeling as though nobody truly understands what we are experiencing. People may sympathise with us, but they cannot always understand the depth of what is happening inside us.

God does.

Psalm 34:18 reminds us that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

God is not distant from our pain. He sees it. He knows it. He understands it.

And His promise is that He will never leave nor forsake His children.

That gives us a different foundation when circumstances begin to shake. Instead of placing our confidence entirely in things that can change, we can place our confidence in the One who remains faithful.

2. God’s Comfort Is Personal and Powerful

God does not simply send comfort from afar. He gives us His presence.

Pastor Glen points to Jesus’ words in John 14:16–18, where the Holy Spirit is described as our Comforter, Advocate and Helper who will remain with us.

There is a difference between receiving a message from someone saying, “I’m here for you,” and having that person actually sit beside you during one of the hardest moments of your life.

Presence matters.

In the same way, God’s comfort is more than words. He is with us.

Our circumstances may not immediately change, but knowing that God has promised to remain with us changes how we walk through those circumstances.

His presence brings peace when life is chaotic. His presence gives strength when we feel weak. His presence reminds us that we are precious to Him and that we are not walking through the valley alone.

Isaiah 41:10 reminds us not to fear because God is with us. He promises to strengthen us, help us and uphold us.

The storm may remain for a season, but we are never abandoned in the storm.

3. God Wants Us to Trust Him

There is a difference between believing that God exists and actually trusting Him with our lives.

Pastor Glen draws attention to Proverbs 3:5–6:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

Trust becomes especially important when we cannot understand why something is happening.

Our own understanding is limited. We see the present moment, while God sees the whole journey. We see the problem before us, while God sees what He can accomplish through it.

This is why Jesus invites those who are weary and burdened to come to Him and find rest.

Leaning on God means surrendering our need to have every answer. It means saying, “Lord, I don’t understand everything that is happening, but I trust You to lead me.”

Pastor Glen reminds us that nothing is impossible for God. He can make a way where we cannot see one, and Romans 8:28 assures us that He is able to work through all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Faith does not mean pretending that our problems are small.

It means recognising that our God is greater than our problems.

4. God Comforts Us So We Can Comfort Others

There is another purpose behind God’s comfort.

Second Corinthians 1:4 says that God comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort those who are in trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from Him.

Pastor Glen reminds us that God does not waste our pain.

Something we have walked through may eventually become the experience God uses to help someone else survive their own difficult season.

Someone who has walked through grief can sit beside another grieving person with genuine understanding. Someone who has experienced depression and found help can encourage another person struggling through a dark season. Someone who has experienced God’s provision during financial difficulty can strengthen someone who is afraid about tomorrow.

Our scars can become reminders of God’s faithfulness.

The comfort we receive was never meant to stop with us. God can turn us into channels through which His compassion reaches someone else.

Three Challenges for Us

Pastor Glen concludes the message with three practical responses.

First, bring your problems, pain and burdens to God.

Stop carrying everything alone. We do not need impressive words when we come before Him. We simply need an honest and humble heart willing to admit, “Lord, I need Your help.”

Second, allow God to comfort and heal you.

When prayers seem unanswered or circumstances remain difficult, we can become discouraged and begin shutting God out. Pastor Glen encourages us to do the opposite: open our hearts again and allow the Holy Spirit to work deeply within us.

The Holy Spirit may not immediately remove every storm, but He can give us peace within the storm.

Third, become a channel of comfort to others.

Look around.

Someone near us may be hurting. Someone may need a message saying, “I’m praying for you.” Someone may need a visit, a listening ear, an encouraging word or simply another person willing to sit beside them.

Having received God’s comfort, we can carry that same comfort into the lives of others.

Lean on Him

The God we worship is all-knowing, all-powerful and always present. He is loving, compassionate and merciful.

There is no problem too great for Him to enter, no pain too small for Him to notice and no sorrow so deep that He cannot meet us there.

God is not asking us to figure everything out.

He is asking us to lean on Him.

Life will still have its sudden moments. There will be days when everything feels steady and days when it does not. But our confidence does not come from having a trouble-free life. It comes from knowing the One who walks with us through every season.

So when life feels heavy, bring the burden to Him.

Allow Him to comfort you.

Trust Him even when you cannot understand what is happening.

And when He has carried you through the valley, reach out and help someone else who is walking through theirs.

Lean on the God of all comfort. He is with you, He cares for you, and He will not leave you to carry the burden alone.