Tag: comfort

38.o. “This we have found”

 

 

Genesis 37:29  When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

 Reuben tore his clothes as an expression of utter horror and mourning, because his weak stand for righteousness accomplished nothing. Joseph might as well be dead, because his father who loved him so would never see him again. This showed the cruelty of the sons of Israel was not directed only towards the favored son, but also towards the father who favored him. This was both a heartless way to bring the news and an evil lie. (Guzik)

How should his sons comfort him, when they were obliged to cover their wickedness with the sin of lying and hypocrisy, and when even Reuben, although at first beside himself at the failure of his plan, had not courage enough to disclose his brothers’ crime? (Keil and Delitzsch)

When Satan has taught men to commit one sin, he teaches them to try to conceal it with another; to hide theft and murder, with lying and false oaths: but he that covers his sin shall not prosper long. Joseph’s brethren kept their own and one another’s counsel for some time; but their villany came to light at last, and it is here published to the world. To grieve their father, they sent him Joseph’s coat of colours; and he hastily thought, on seeing the bloody coat, that Joseph was rent in pieces. Let those that know the heart of a parent, suppose the agony of poor Jacob. His sons basely pretended to comfort him, but miserable, hypocritical comforters were they all. Had they really desired to comfort him, they might at once have done it, by telling the truth. The heart is strangely hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Jacob refused to be comforted. Great affection to any creature prepares for so much the greater affliction, when it is taken from us, or made bitter to us: undue love commonly ends in undue grief. It is the wisdom of parents not to bring up children delicately, they know not to what hardships they may be brought before they die. From the whole of this chapter we see with wonder the ways of Providence. The malignant brothers seem to have gotten their ends; the merchants, who care not what they deal in so that they gain, have also obtained theirs; and Potiphar, having got a fine young slave, has obtained his! But God’s designs are, by these means, in train for execution. This event shall end in Israel’s going down to Egypt; that ends in their deliverance by Moses; that in setting up the true religion in the world; and that in the spread of it among all nations by the gospel. Thus the wrath of man shall praise the Lord, and the remainder thereof will he restrain. (Henry)

30.q. “Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!”

 

Matthew 5:4  “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

 Luke 6:25    “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

Psalm 13:1  How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? 

 Psalms 30:7-11    Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!” You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

 Isaiah 30:19   For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.

 Zechariah 12:10-14    “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

 2 Corinthians 1:4-7   who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

 Revelation 21:4   He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

There two kinds of situations by which we will mourn. We will mourn over the loss of something we love and we will mourn over our sin in the light of Jesus Christ and His grace, mercy, glory, and honor. We can mourn over the loss of our freedom, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, loss of financial stability, loss of position, loss of authority, etc… We mourn over something we once had and now do not. This is worldly mourning and for the most part it is temporal and just integrated into life this side of eternity. All of this mourning is based on love of a current state, relationship, or person, but may also include pride. Anyone with a heart will mourn, at times, throughout their lives. It is a natural response. Mourning should not be our destination but rather a path. This path can and should lead us into trust, reliance, and comfort that is only found in and through Jesus Christ. 

There is another kind of mourning. It is so deep, hurtful, and overwhelming. It is the mourning that arises out of the understanding and knowledge of our personal sinful nature and God’s holiness.  When we are given glimpses of God’s holiness and our sinfulness, we are or should be, overwhelmed with mourning our condition. We are overwhelmed because we now understand our sinfulness in the light of holiness. We understand, on our own, we are without hope. Our sin seems to be so great, in the light of holiness, that there is nothing we can do to wipe it away. This is true. There is nothing we can do to wipe away our sin. We should be mournful. Our heart should ache. Our soul should weep. But glory to God this is not how this type of mourning will last.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”   

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”  

“I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.” 

“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

Seeing our sin in the light of God’s glory and grace should lead us to mourn deeply, but this path of mourning should lead us to trust, obedience, reliance, and faith in Jesus Christ which yields humbleness, thankfulness, hope, joy, comfort, courage, and rejoicing.

27.m. “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”

 

Ephesians 4:1  I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

 Romans 12:1   I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

 Acts 9:31   So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

 Colossians 1:10  so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

 1 Thessalonians 2:12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

 2 Timothy 1:9    who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

What does it mean to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called?  Our salvation is in Jesus Christ alone.  Nothing we could do or did do would add or take away from His complete work on the cross.  There is not a single “Good” person who has done good enough to merit what Christ did on the cross.  There is not a single “Bad” person who has done such vile bad things that the work of Christ on the cross will not save them completely.  The good and bad people are both sinners, lost, apart from God, walking in flesh and doing fleshly things, and in need of redemption, forgiveness, and salvation.  Once they have come to the saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ, repent of their sin, and trust in, cling to, and rely on Jesus Christ they are saved, born again, a new creation.  The Holy Spirit is given to each one of them, to lead, comfort, and die them unlimited power to live in this world in a manner worthy of the price Jesus Christ paid for their sin.  So I ask again what does it mean to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called?

This is an ever-changing goal in the life of a Christian.  As we grow, here a little there a little, precept by precept, line upon line.  As we grow in our knowledge and understanding of God and His grace, mercy, and love, our understanding of what walking in a manner worthy will also grow.  That is why it is an ever-changing upward goal.  We do well to grow in our knowledge and understanding, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little.  Too often our attainment of growth is limited because of our lack of knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.  Too often we neglect it.  Too often we are complacent.  Too often we get caught up in the busyness of life and worry about walking worthy of what our neighbors and family will think rather than the one who freely gave His life to redeem you.

19.s. “The Father of mercies and God of all comfort”

2 Corinthians 1:3  3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

What if Your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near? What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?” Singer and songwriter Laura Story wrote these words after her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As the couple wrestled with his diagnosis and prayed for healing, Laura expressed her prayers to the Lord through her song, “Blessings,” which has encouraged many others as they walk through trials.

No matter your trial—illness, unemployment, family struggles—God is still blessing you. The blessing may come through a comforting verse in His Word or through an encouraging card from a friend. It might appear in the unexpected gift from a family member or the worship song sung at church. His blessings are all around us. These small blessings bring great joy to our hearts, but perhaps the greatest blessing we receive during times of trial is the blessing of drawing closer to God. As we trust Him and cling to His promises, our relationship with the Father deepens. What an indescribable blessing! (David Jeremiah)

4.y. Have I any help in me?

Job 6:8  “Oh that I might have my request, and that God would fulfill my hope, that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off! This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One. What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should be patient? Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze? Have I any help in me, when resource is driven from me?

Numbers 11:14-15    I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.  If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

1 Kings 19:4   But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

Jonah 4:3  Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Psalms 32:4  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

Isaiah 48:10-13    Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.  For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.  “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last.  My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together.

Affliction has a way of wearing us down to a place so void of hope that we seek God to just put us out of our misery.  It is not as though we are the only ones who have felt this way or have been afflicted.  The truth is many before us and many after us will experience affliction, this place where we are so over-burdened that our searching for God is hard if not almost impossible.

In the plans and purposes of God, we are allowed to experience and walk through affliction.   It can be to draw us out of sinful path or to draw us into a much deeper and closer walk with Him.  The path of affliction strips away the glossy veneer of this world’s false promises and our dependence on them.  It takes away the lure it has and exposes it for what it is.  Affliction will peel away the skin covering every nerve of our being and leave us wanting nothing this world has to offer.

When all is stripped away it is when we no longer hang on to the temporary things of this world and look only to Jesus Christ.  It is in Him that we find comfort to our hearts deep in our souls.  It is unpleasant but so glorious to have been afflicted and stripped of that which pulls us away from Jesus Christ.  Only those who have experienced this type of affliction can tell of its blessed effect in and on their lives.

I can tell you that affliction without having Jesus Christ in your life leaves you with no hope but can lead you to Hope in Him.  Affliction with Jesus Christ will increase your hope and take you on deeper paths of worship, honor, and glory for Him. Refined in the Furnace of Affliction.

Your promise gives me life

Psalms 119:49  Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope.  This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.  The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law.  When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O LORD.  Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law.  Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning.  I remember your name in the night, O LORD, and keep your law.  This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts.

The Psalmist understood that God could never forget His word. Speaking in the manner of men, this was a plea for God to fulfill the promises stated in His word. God wants His people to plead His stated promises back to Him in prayer.  “This is, as Augustine said of his mother, ‘bringing before God his own hand-writing.’ Will he not remember his word?” (Bridges) “When we hear any promise in the word of God, let us turn it into a prayer. Spurgeon said that he often carried with him a small book of God’s promises (“Clarke’s Precious Promises”) “If God’s word to us as his servants is so precious, what shall we say of his word to us as his sons?” (Spurgeon)

The Psalmist understood that his trust and hope in God’s word should not be credited to his own spiritual greatness or genius. It came because God worked in him to hope in His word. The word of God is worthy of such hope. When recalled how faithfully and powerfully God’s word had brought him life in the past, he found comfort in his present affliction.

There is no specific prayer for help. Instead, there are “statements by the writer that he trusts what God has written in his law and will continue to love it and obey its teachings. It is a way of acknowledging that suffering is common to human beings.” (Boice)

All should remember that the word of God gives life, hope, comfort There was specific comfort in remembering Your judgments of old, O Lord. So we are comforted and strengthened in hope as we remember how God has dealt with men and circumstances in the past. “The grinning of the proud will not trouble us when we remember how the Lord dealt with their predecessors in bygone periods; he destroyed them at the deluge, he confounded them at Babel, he drowned them at the Red Sea, he drove them out of Canaan: he has in all ages bared his arm against the haughty, and broken them as potters’ vessels.” (Spurgeon)

Does it ever seem like you run to God’s word in time of need, trials, testing, trouble, and then when reflecting back on your life you see how you kept it at arms length in times of blessing?  Does this even make sense to act this way?

Imagine a good friend who you reach out to in times of stress and trouble.  They are always there for you and help comfort you through that time in your life.  They make time for you.  They listen to you.  They encourage you.  They help in many ways.    Now fast forward to the other side of valley you have walked through.  Times are better and you, with the help of your friend, are back on your feet again.  What kind of person would we be considered if, at that point, we stop speaking to our helpful friend?  What kind of person would just use this helpful friend in times of trouble and not in times of blessings?

Do we do this with God?  Do we seem Him as an ATM with an unlimited “Help” card that we can use at will?   He is worthy of so much more.  He wants to be Lord of our life.  He wants us to see His mighty hand, steadfast love, and awesome power in both times of trials and blessings.  He wants us to willingly and with a longing heart want to hear His quiet small voice.  He wants us to do His will.  He wants us to trust His plan and purpose for our life.

If you are in a time of trial, turn to Him.  If you are in a time of blessing, run faster to Him each day.  In all things give thanks.  At all times Honor God.  Do not forget He is worthy of all praise, honor, glory with our absolute humble service and obedience – ALL OT THE TIME

When the cares of my heart are many

Psalms 94:19  When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

Psalms 43:2-5     For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?  Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling  Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.  Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

Psalms 61:2     from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,

Psalms 63:5-6     My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips  when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

Psalms 77:2-10    In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.

When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah  You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.  I consider the days of old, the years long ago.  I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search: “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?  Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time?  Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah  Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

Habakkuk 3:16-18    I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.  Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,  yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Romans 5:2-5     Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

2 Corinthians 1:4-5    who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

1 Peter 1:7-8     so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

Life certainly throws curve balls at us when we least expect it.  There are times when all seems so right , good, peaceful, and in harmony.  There are times when it is not.  When you go through this valley there are not so good friends that come to join you.  Their names are uncertainty, soul deep heart ache, and chaos.  They are much like stinky fish.  Once you come into contact it just seems to cling to you.  They all seem to talk at once seemingly trying to out do the other.  Closing your eyes does not make them go away.  Going to a secluded room only makes them more active.  What is a person to do when these three show up and seek to bring their friends – despair, loneliness, hate, anger, and confusion all having super glue like attachment to the heart, soul, and mind.

God’s word proclaims promises, hope, refuge, strength, and power.  Keeping it in our heart, mind and soul has an effect even though these other intruders have taken residence.  Slowly the super glue bonds start to weaken and they leave.  They stand at the door trying to get in but there is something about God’s word that keeps these unfriendly guests at bay.  Even should they gain entrance, God is there and you are never alone with them.  Keep and hold His word tight.  Claim His promises of protection, steadfast presence, refuge, strength, power and love.

Love one another

“By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

John 13:34  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 15:12-13     “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Acts 4:32     Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.  And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.  There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold  and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

1 John 2:5     but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him

1 John 2:10     Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

Galatians 6:2     Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Leviticus 19:18     You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Romans 12:10     Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

1 Peter 1:22     Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

1 Corinthians 13:4     Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Philippians 2:1     So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,  complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

Reread this again.  What is God revealing to your heart?  If this is what love looks like lived out where do I fall short? How do I recognize these shortcomings?  How do I put them into practice?  What are those triggers in my life that seem to take me down paths contrary to the principles of love?  Pride, selfishness, greed, self honor, impatience, lack of sympathy, self centeredness, “ME” – “MYSELF” – “I”……. I am instructed to keep my eyes focused on Christ and His example, sharing the burdens of others, allowing myself to be wronged, seeking to keep unity, and doing this for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ.  This is very contrary to the sinful nature.  When my focus is on me I soon lose sight of Christ’s love.  Even if I stay in His word and seek to honor Him, if I’m not continuously conscious of demonstrating love it is easy to let that sinful nature of me, myself and I to hinder any effect I might have to honor and glorify Jesus.  Practice the love of Christ each day.  Ask Jesus to fill you with His love and lead you down paths giving opportunity to demonstrate it.