Comforting Words

The Comforting Word

“Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.” Psalm 119:49-50

God’s Word brings us life and in the gift of life, we find great hope and comfort in the midst of affliction.

Affliction is common to our humanity. It bears down upon us. It burdens us. It discourages us. It tempts us to lose focus and concentrate on our circumstances rather than the hope that is in us.

Hope runs dry in affliction and we need an infusion of new hope. That hope is found in the Word of God and brings great comfort to our souls and life to our spirits.

We feel so dead under the load of suffering. We feel alone and dismayed.

Comfort is the opposite of aloneness. The comforted one knows that someone has come alongside us and is consoling us in that deep way that companionship affords. God speaks to us and His words are words of hope.

We know it is God so we can believe what He says.

How do we know it is God?

Familiarity is the answer.

Having met him frequently in the pages of scripture and at the altar of prayer, we have come to recognize His voice and when He speaks, we know it is His assurance that is consoling us. It is His promise that is quickening us and restoring us to life.

We hear His comforting word and we sing,

“Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. “ (Verse 54)

Turning Feet

“I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. “ Psalm 119:59

What can turn you around?

There is divine meeting place between you and God and you have an appointment to meet Him there. It is in that place at His appointed time where you take a long look at yourself in the light of His truth and you either walk away or experience a turning of your feet.

When have you last thought on your ways?

Introspection is unavoidable when we come regularly, honestly, and earnestly to the scriptures and read them with an open, seeking heart. We will think on our ways as we compare God’s expectations with our own attitudes and behavior.

Conviction is inevitable for real a Bible reader which is why some of us become Bible avoiders.

But our feet may be going the wrong way and they need to be turned. They need correction and we need the Word of God to bring that about in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I worry very little about the spiritual progress of those who are totally immersed in the scriptures. It is the sword of the Spirit and it pierces the hearts of all who encounter the Lord there. Jesus relied on that Word to overcome His own temptation and He often applied it to the situations he encountered daily.

The psalmist found urgency in the scriptures. The moment of conviction became the moment of turning:

“I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.” (Verse 60)

To him, the precepts of God provided the safety net for his life:

“At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments. I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. The earth, O LORD, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes.” (Verses 62-64)

There are those among us who have grown disgruntled, stubborn, and unbelieving – especially concerning the possibility of change in their own attitudes, habits, and lives. Friend, if you are among that company of defeated Christians, there is hope and that hope is found in God’s Word. Read it; take it to heart; and allow it to turn your feet.

Secret Wisdom and Hidden Glories

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory … But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him.” – I Corinthians 2:6 and 9

The hidden wisdom of God, revealed in Jesus and discerned by spiritual men, is offered to those for whom it is prepared. It is the wonder of God’s purposes and glory. It is shared on a “need-to-know” basis, as we need to know.

And what we do know is that there is much that we cannot know.

We have a glimpse if we have gained it through spiritual sight. We have the earnest of the Spirit. We are gladdened by promises from God Himself. But still we see through a glass darkly. Only dim reflections illumine our insight into eternity for as yet, it is still far beyond us, above us, and other than us.

It is not that God does not want us to know or desires for us to remain in the dark; it is that we simply cannot receive the fullness of this knowledge while confined to time, space, and physical body. That is why what relatively little we know, comes by other than intellectual receptors. In the meantime, He is preparing us for the day when we can know perfectly as we are known.

There is coming a time when all the secrets will be revealed. In that day, in a finite immeasurable moment, our eyes will be opened and we shall be eternally with the Lord. Whatever we imagined about God and eternity, Heaven and glory in this life will not compare to what He has purposed to share with us.

Oh wondrous, glorious, mystery and bliss,
By grace, the moment we shall not miss,
Beyond the veil of time and space
When by His side we take our place.

Amen