Sources Of Comfort

Believers look to God for comfort. It is just one of many great gifts that our Father God wants to bestow upon us. For those of us that our fathers, I think of when my kids have been sitting on the couch in the winter and getting a blanket for them to wrap up in. I think of when they want to snuggle up against their mother while watching a movie. We are God’s children and it is the most natural thing to seek comfort from him. Paul mentions something in his letter to the Philippians that I found interesting that was a comfort to him.

Philippians 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Here we see Paul comparing the comfort of love to being of one mind and one accord with the other believers. He tells us to esteem them above ourselves. He tells us to not think on our own things but also on the things of others. And he sums this up by saying that this is exactly how Jesus operated, whom we are to imitate. So there is another form of comfort we can seek. That form of comfort is to strive towards the unity of the believers, and to look out for each other.

Think for a moment what that would be like. If in our lives every day we absolutely believed and knew that we could count on God to always be making a way for us. And think about how we would feel if we knew our fellow believers were looking out for our good, that we could turn to them in times of need, that we always had a group of people watching our backs. Perhaps this would be good for us to work toward. Perhaps we should all be striving to create that comfort for the entire group. Sounds like something Jesus would be doing today, right?

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as our King. We ask today father that You comfort Your people directly and through us. Help us to know when someone needs comforting. Help us to be more like Jesus (Yeshua) in all we do. Help us to find comfort in comforting others. Please send today the healing and deliverance and provision Your people need. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Hope

When life deals us or someone we know a challenging blow, it can be difficult to understand what is happening. A friend of mine had such an event recently, and it made us all sad. This morning as I was thinking about that situation and struggles of my own, I wondered at how we can be comforted in these difficult times. What can be an answer to the need for comfort?

Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

God gave Moses direction to build a tabernacle after the pattern He had shown him in the heavens. We know that Moses new God’s ways of life. How did Moses know them? It would seem in part He knew them by patterns that God revealed to him. If we can find these patterns, we too can know and walk in God’s ways. We can have God on our side if we will but have faith.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Paul said in his letter to the Hebrews that faith requires belief and trust. We must believe that God exists, and we must trust that He is on our side. This is what Paul was describing in this verse. And how do we know we have faith in God?

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Here the word substance means something placed under where we stand. A good word would be foothold. The word evidence means proof. And the word hope means eager expectation. Putting this all together we could say this another way.

Believing in God and trusting that He is on our side is the foothold for what we expect, and the proof that what is yet unseen does and will exist.

Where might Paul have gotten this idea? Paul, being of a Jewish decent, was well versed in the scriptures of His day, what we call the Old Testament. In at least one place, we get a clue to what Paul was referencing.

Psalms 146:1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
2 While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:

Here we see in verse five that the one that has God for a helper is happy, and his hope is in God. The word hope here in the Hebrew means expectation. This is that same idea of expectation comes from believing that God exists and is on our side. It says that the person that has this perspective is happy. How do we know that they are happy? In the case of the psalmist here, he is praising God as long as he lives. He has learned not to trust in men because their efforts are small and they pass away, even his own efforts being a man.

Today, if we seek comfort, deliverance, healing, provision, then let’s sing praises to our God. If you are like me and struggle with singing, then make a joyful noise in praise to God. Shout His praises! This will help to remind us that not only is there a God, but He is on our side, and we can expect Him to show Himself strong on our behalf! Praise God!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High! Thank You for Your word spoken from the beginning. Thank You for being our King. We want to trust only in You. Please help us to trust in You, and help to make up the difference where we lack. Please send Your healing, deliverance, and provision today. We forgive those that have wronged us, and please forgive us for our struggles with unbelief and doing and saying things contrary to Your word. We love You. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Looking To The Morning

This morning when I got up I was thinking about the day and the week, wondering what they would bring. Some people get up and just go through their routine. Some people seem to always be thinking about what is coming next and tend to worry about it. I am one of these people. This morning as I was reading the scriptures and praying, I cam across something that I had experienced in the past but had not really thought about consciously before. In times when things are not going the way I had hoped I find myself going to bed thinking that things will be better tomorrow. As it turns out, that feeling is built into us and is true.

Psalms 30:1 I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3 O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

David seems to be describing this very feeling in this psalm. I am sure David faced challenges far beyond mine, yet he still looked to the morning. He had often experienced God’s deliverance the next day after going through some challenges. And David knew God heard his voice and would always respond to save His people. I can feel the comfort in the words as David sang to God.

Psalms 28:6 Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
8 The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.

If we can just hold on and sing praises to our God, joy will come, God will deliver His people, and feed us and lift us up forever.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. We are very blessed that You always hear us, and we bless Your holy name. You alone are God. You alone are worthy of praise. Please reach out to your people today, Father. Feed us and raise us up. Remember us and deliver us. Show Your works a sign to all the people. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Comfort Ye My People

Today as I was looking out onto a fresh wooly blanket of bright white snow in the woods, I remembered some words from a song I had heard years ago, “Comfort Ye My People”, which comes from Isaiah 40. Reading over this scripture I remembered several parts of it. However, today I saw some things I had not seen before.

Isaiah 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

In the first five verses God is telling Isaiah to cry out comfort to Jerusalem. God told Isaiah that they had accomplished their warfare and turned away from their sins. I had not noticed before this part about warfare. We are to battle against darkness at all times and in all places. Paul tells us this in his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

God told Isaiah that this battle to which all believers are called will have a victorious end. In the verses in Isaiah 40:6-9 God tells Isaiah not to be afraid to speak, and to tell people behold God.

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

God was encouraging Isaiah not to be afraid to speak about God’s majesty and His deliverance, even before people could see His deliverance. This is also warfare, to declare God and His works that may not yet be revealed. For most of the rest of this passage Isaiah reminds the people about how great and large God is when compared to any part of creation, and that all of creation does exactly as He commands it to perform. All of these are meant to cause us to remember who God is, and how powerful He is, in preparation for the comforting words at the end of this declaration.

Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Our God has already declared us the winner of our warfare. When we speak these same things, we are just agreeing with what He has already declared. His words never fail. Today, pronounce strength to yourself and those that follow God’s ways, for He shall truly renew your strength.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as our Most High King! We praise Your name and declare Your mighty works in us and in the earth. Let it be known Father that You are our God. Show us a sign for good, that all men may know that there is but one true God. Bring Your kingdom to earth in our lives today more fully. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Closer To Comfort

Our God is always very close to us. As a father myself I can say without reservation that I love my children, and miss them when they are not around. The older we get the more life seems to intervene to take away opportunity to spend time with my kids. But there is nothing that they could do that if they were in despair and called to me that i would not do all I could to help them, to reach out to them, and to push back against those that might be trying to cause them harm. And I am a human with human frailties. God is the Almighty King and perfect in every way. I can only imagine how much stronger His feelings and desires for us are than mine for my own children. Surely He wants to comfort us, as the scriptures tell us repeatedly.

Psalms 109:29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.

In Psalms 109 the writer calls out for some extreme help from God against his adversaries. The last verse gives me hope and is a great comfort because it says that God stand at our right hand to deliver us. If God is at our right hand, and will deliver us from those that are trying to overwhelm us, we are in a very good place. To God be the glory!

Prayer
Father, You alone are worthy to be praised as the Most High God. You alone are our King. We love and adore You, and lift our voices to You. Please hear our cries today God. Please crush those that seek to harm our very souls. Just as the psalmist wrote, there are those that tell lies against us. They lie in wait to destroy us, and they try to take away all that You have given to Your people. Father, please knock them down today, and drive them away confused. Make is such that they cannot even think clearly to cause Your people harm. Show Yourself strong on our behalf that all men may know that You alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

I Know The King

This morning I find myself drinking coffee, sitting in a booth at a fast food restaurant. Sitting here I was trying to think of something that is comforting. Although life has its challenges, this morning when I got up I began both praying to God and talking to myself out loud about how great the day would be. And I noticed how much better the day has seemed for me as a result. As I pondered that experience, a thought crossed my my mind that made me smile. I know the King.

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Zechariah is a great book fortelling much about the Messiah. He records information about both the first and the last coming of the Messiah. Here we see he says the King of the daughter of Zion, the King of Zion, will come and will be just, with salvation, and lowly, riding on an ass (donkey). And we know who that was, right?

John 12:12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.
16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

Jesus (Yeshua) is the King of Zion. For those of us that believe, He is our salvation, our healer, our deliverer, and our God. We live in a world created by our God. This is His place, and what He says goes. He has absolute authority.

Leviticus 26:11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Just as God promised originally through Moses, Jesus confirmed when He said that if we keep His words, He will dwell with us. So, the King says He will live with us. Do you suppose if the King of a country were to move into your house, maybe that would be good for you, right? Well, if you are a believer, the next time you get to feeling unsettled about something in life, just stand up and say to the darkness,

“I know the King!”

Prayer
Father, we praise You as the Most High! Thank You for all Your help in our lives. We ask today Father that You would stand up for us and deliver us from the darkness today. Bring us our provisions. We praise Your name, for You alone are worthy to be praised! Thank You for being our King. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Mashed Potatoes

Last night my wife and I had a pot luck dinner at our friends house. There were many yummy things to eat – roasted chicken, dressing, and more. And of course a personal favorite of mine, mashed potatoes. There is just something about these foods – especially the mashed potatoes – that make us feel good, right? I guess that is why they call them “comfort foods.” Foods like mashed potatoes trigger something in our bodies that cause our physical bodies to feel different, to feel better, at that moment. Yes, I know there is a chemistry behind it that causes us to “feel” those feelings. but all of this is not really what I am getting at here. Just like our physical person can be comforted, our spiritual person can be comforted as well.

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

God has set up a plan for us to be comforted. He has said things to us in our prayer times and in His scriptures that are intended to give us hope, and that hope is intended to comfort us. The word here for affliction means depression, and quickened means revived. God has set this up for us. Sometimes I know I feel bad that I want to be comforted, but God created us to want and need time with Him in prayer and reading the bible. This time gives us hope and revives us.

Both the physical and spiritual person need care and feeding on a regular basis. Both need to feel comforted. While comfort foods are good, they can be overdone. However, we can never spend too much time with our God. Today, let’s spend time in prayer and reading the scriptures, and let the King of the universe give us hope and revive us to life in Him.

Prayer
Father, we thank You today that You give us hope. We praise You for being our King. Today we ask that You raise us up and comfort us. We need You. We need life in You. We need to know deep within our hearts that You are with us, in us, and on our side. Please give us our deliverance and our provision speedily today Father. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

We Are A People

Sometimes when I am searching for comfort from God, I look at my circumstances and want help, I want something else. That is the case with comfort, don’t you think? There is something that we think is not as it should be. And there can be times when it seems a bit overwhelming. In times like these I look to see what those that went before me have said in hopes to find comfort. Today I found such words from Peter.

1 Peter 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Before we give our life to Jesus, we can feel lost and alone. That is just one reason we can turn to Him. It was for me. But here we see Peter talking about just that very thing. God set Jesus, our Cornerstone, in Zion. For those of us that believe, He is precious. To those that do not, it just sort of gnaws at them on the inside. We have become chosen, which feels good, right? Do you ever remember when you were a kid and picked teams, just waiting to be chosen? Well, God chose US!

You see, God took us from that dark and lonely place and brought us into a wonderful place of love and light. And here is the part that comforts me maybe the most. We were all separately going our own ways, not really belonging to anything. But now, we are a part of a group. We have become a people. We are a nation of believers, and we have fellow citizens around the world. We belong to the group – God’s people.

Doesn’t it feel good to know you belong? For me, this is both a joy and a comfort, and I know our leader, our King, cares very much for me and for each one of us.

Prayer
Father, we praise You as the King of our nation, Your nation. We thank You for calling us out of darkness. Please be with Your people today God. Please reach out and comfort each one, and bring to us today all that we need. Heal us on the inside and out. Deliver us from our fears. Give to us our provision for today that all men may know that You alone are the One True God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Comfort One Another

Some days, it just helps to have a friend. Someone to make you feel better. Someone to help lift your spirits. Someone to provide a level of comfort. Actually this is what we all are meant to do as believers.

1 Corinthians 16:17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied.
18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such.

Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians spoke of such comfort as a refreshing of our spirit. He encouraged them to acknowledge Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus because they had refreshed both the Corinthians him. That is what friends do. And we have another friend that does this as well.

John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Jesus said He calls us friends. He calls us friends because everything He heard from the Father he told them. He chose us and ordained us to follow Him. And because of these things, His message to us is that we can ask the Father what we will and the Father will give it to us. Of course we must ask according to His will, but God wants us to have all of our needs met and to live a life that shows His kingdom on this earth.

For me, that is a comfort. Our Friend, Jesus, wants you to be comforted today.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God. Please comfort Your people today. We are the friends of Your Son, and He said to ask You what we will. Please reach out yet today and touch the lives and hearts of all Your people. Bring Your reign in our lives. Bring our provision for today, and give us Your peace. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep…

The title of this post comes from the words of one of the first prayers I learned as a child. Perhaps this was true for you as well. When I think of the moments in life when God has comforted me, having this prayer to pray as a child was one of those moments. Children seek comfort from their parents as a natural course of events. God is our Father, and we are drawn to seek comfort from Him in the same way. And God tells us in the scriptures that He will respond when we seek that comfort from Him and that we can trust that He will respond.

Psalms 4:1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.
3 But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.
4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

David wrote this to God both as a call for comfort and mercy, and as a way I think to acknowledge Him and say thanks. In the first verse David calls out to God. When the evil is around him, he knows that God is looking for the godly, those that will follow after Him. We are not perfect, but if we ask for forgiveness God will give it to us, and we will be forgiven. The sacrifice of righteousness in this case is to put our lives on His alter and be humble enough to seek forgiveness. When we do, we can trust God to do His part to show us His goodness and look upon us as the children that He loves. The result is the gladness of comfort in our hearts, and we can rest in peace, knowing our God will keep us safe.

Sometimes our childhood prayers hold more treasures than we knew.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as our Protector and Deliverer. Please watch over Your people today and keep them safe. Please help us to turn from sin and toward You. Be strong on our behalf, and deliver us from the evil that may come today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.