A God of All Comfort

There are very few of us that have not been hit with at least one of life's tragedies. Whether the loss of something or someone we hold dear, or dealing with an event we never expected to happen, it is the kind of thing that leaves us scrambling for answers. Deep within, we feel inexplicable pain and would welcome a shoulder to lean on, and if necessary, to cry on.

The writer of the book of Hebrews reminds us of one of the many attributes of God. He wrote "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities..." (4:15), and it is a great source of comfort to know that regardless of what we are going through, God can fully identify with our feelings. In the Greek, the word translated "infirmities" actually means "feebleness of body or mind", and therefore it is not just our physical infirmities that touches God, but also the mental, emotional, and psychological things we have to deal with.

The good news is not just that He can identify with our feelings, but He is also able to provide comfort (relief) from those stresses. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation" (2 Cor. 1:3-4a). Again, the word translated "tribulation" actually means, among other things, "pressure, trouble". The God of all comfort is able to comfort us in all our troubles; in all the situations that pressures our bodies and minds.

It is no wonder that we are encouraged to cast our cares / burdens upon the Lord; we are assured that He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). I believe that caring extends to every area of our lives, and so during the times when we need Him most, He is always there with open arms of comfort. Even when it doesn't seem like it, He is there. As we deal with our individual circumstances, may we find peace of mind and heart in that care, and relief from life's stresses when we find ourselves in our valleys of life's experiences.

Search Me, O God

One of the buzz words in relationships is transparency. We want the people in our lives to "open up" and share their innermost thoughts and feelings; we want to know their heart. Most of us are afraid of this transparency because we feel extremely vulnerable, and for the most part, uncomfortable. We are told to "not tell everything", "don't say anything that could come back to haunt you", among other things, and so even though we can comfortably connect with others on an intimate level, being transparent is another matter.

The irony is that genuinely intimate relationships require transparency in order to be fully effective. There cannot be any areas of our lives that is considered "off limits"because, in a number of ways, transparency speaks to our integrity and character; the very core of who were are individuals. In the natural, the absence of transparency breeds hurt, insecurity, uncertainty, confusion, to name a few.

In the spiritual realm, it is mandatory to have transparency with the Almighty if we desire fellowship with Him. David wrote, "Behold, thou desirest in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom" (Psalm 51:6), and answered his own question, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?" with "He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation" (24:3-5). Jesus Himself told the woman at the well, "...the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him" (John 4:23). Genuine worship involves purity of heart and mind; a state that can only be attained when we lay ourselves open to the will and workings of the Holy Spirit.

That is why I love David's prayer in Psalm 139:2, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting", to which we could add, "Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin ... Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (51:2, 10). For the expressed purpose of enjoying a healthy relationship with God, he laid himself bare, made himself transparent before Him who knew him better than he knew himself.

How far are you willing to go in your relationship with the Father? How transparent are you willing to become? Remember, if He is not Lord of all areas of our lives, He is not Lord at all.

Always In His Sight

Have you ever felt like God has lost sight of you? That He has lost your address and doesn't know where you are? I recall those feelings of many years ago when it seemed like nothing about me was going right, yet despite what the enemy would have me believe, I knew enough to know that it only seemed like God had forgotten me, but He really hadn't. In our lowest moments, Satan would have us believe that we are alone. Hanging on the cross, Jesus echoed the cry of the Psalmist, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46b), or as the Message Translation records the verses, "God, God...my God! Why did you dump me miles from nowhere? Doubled up with pain, I call to God all the day long. No answer. Nothing. I keep at it all night, tossing and turning" (Psalm 22:1-2).

Because the enemy is not capable of telling the truth (John 8:44), someone once said that whatever comes out of Satan's mouth, turn it around. If he says God has abandoned you, the opposite is true; truth is, we are always in His sight. In Psalm 139:7-12 we read, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee." There is absolutely nowhere that we can go that we are ever out of His sight.

What marvellous truth! What tremendous comfort! Amidst life's storms, and even in the dry places along our spiritual journey, we can rest assured that the omniscience of our God enables Him to have us in His sight at all times. The devil is a liar and there is no need for the child of God to be discouraged. No matter the challenges, we can sign with the hymn writer: "Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise / When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies / I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free / His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."

Thank you Jesus!

Who Is Jesus to You?

According to the book of Matthew, Jesus had just finished feeding four thousand men, besides women and children, with seven loaves and a few little fish when he had a private conversation with his disciples at Caesarea Philippi. Despite all the teaching he had done, and the miracles preformed, he asked the disciples, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" to which they answered, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." In other words, people were saying anything other than who he really was.
Jesus then turned the tables and asked, "But who do you say that I am?" to which Simon Peter, my favorite disciple, replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matt. 16:13-16).
The entire exchange affirmed an important truth; one can have good thoughts of Christ, and yet not the right ones; a high opinion of him, yet not high enough. The people had seen Jesus and the works he did. His life and ministry was as spoken by the prophets, yet even in his midst, they did not know who he was. The disciples all agreed he was the promised Messiah, the Son of God, yet even in that declaration, they still missed all that Jesus was. Yes, he was the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14), but to those who believe in him, he was much more than that.
While most Christians understand Jesus as stated by Peter, we miss fully understanding all that he is to us. Scriptures teach that he is our Bread of Life, the Light of the world, the True Vine, Comforter, Friend, Healer, the Good Shepherd, Redeemer, Savior, the Fountain of Living Water, Burden Bearer, Deliverer, Great High Priest, Provider, among many other things. Anything that the believer needs him to be, he is all that and more! How our lives could be much different if we grasped this important truth?
Who is Jesus to you? Is he just the Son of God? I challenge you to get more intimately acquainted with him and get to know him better. There is no area of our lives that he is incapable of stepping into and making a difference. May he so reveal himself to you as you spend time in his presence.