Monday 2 May 2011

comfort and Peace, a Devotional

  He heals the brokenhearted
       and bandages their wounds.
[psalm 147:3]

Heavens and earth, be happy.
 Mountains, shout with joy,
 because the Lord comforts his people
 and will have pity on those who suffer.
[Isaiah 49:13]

Early in January I had a loss; My cousin died of cancer. As I sat on my bed crying I called out to god to comfort me and let me feel his peace.

After some time I began to feel it,  god's peace had come softly into my heart.
It didn't take the grief away but it helped me to deal with it: I knew I wasn't coping with this on my own.

Later that day my best friend Came and sat with me for a while, I am sure the Lord sent her to me to comfort me.


It's hard to understand why bad things happening our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. we know we live in an imperfect world and that sin is the cause of a lot of our problems. When things go wrong in our lives we call out to God,asking him to tell  us why these things happen, but I think there are things we won't understand until we see Jesus face to face.

there is one thing we can know without a doubt, however.  god understands our grief and pain, and he is with us when things go wrong. I think one of the most profound bible verses is also the very shortest verse in scripture
john 11:35 simply says
Jesus Wept.
Jesus was at the grave site of his friend Lazarus who died 4 days previously. the Lord was moved to tears by the grief of the man's sisters and friends and he wept, Even though he knew he was going to raise his friend from the dead.

Jesus understands our pain and grief. It's part of the reason why he
came down from heaven and lived as a man. Because we know he understands what we or our loved ones are going through,  we can turn to him for help and comfort and strength to get through the difficult time.

Remember that he is in heaven praying for us and he knows how it feels to be sad, he knows how it feels to be in pain and to feel helpless at our friend's grief and pain. Jesus knew that Lazarus was dying and I'm sure he wanted to go to Bethany straight away or even say a word to heal him from where he was, but he had to stick to god's plan and he knew God would be glorified even  more if Jesus was obedient to his will and waited but can you imagine how Jesus felt knowing how much they were suffering and having to wait till the right time before he helped them? I believe part of the reason why god wanted Jesus to wait before raising Lazarus is that Jesus could get an idea of the helplessness we feel when we see others hurting.

So, remember these things when you or one of your loved ones is suffering pain or loss or going through any other sort of hard time. don't let the situation push you away from god but draw near to him and cling to the rock of ages. He is ready to comfort and help us, to give us his peace and joy, if we will ask him.

I want to leave you with a thought and a promise from god's word.  The bible says:
weeping may stay for the night,
   but rejoicing comes in the morning.
[psalm 30 5b]

Father I pray for anyone reading this who is going through grief or loss or sickness or any other sort of hard time that we may experience in this life. Father I pray for your peace to fill their hearts and that you would comfort them by your Holy spirit. I pray that the situation they are facing will only make them cling to you more and more. pour your steadfast love into their hearts and give them the strength they need to get through the hard time they are facing.

I also pray for those who's loved ones are facing grief or pain or hard times. we can feel so helpless Lord when we know someone we care about is suffering, give us wisdom to know when to speak, what to say, or when to be silent and just be there for them. I also pray that you will meet the needs of those who are facing hard times today. Lord we know that you hear us when we pray and that you are with us in every situation. Thank you for that dear Lord. I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.