Comfort ye one another, but how? When those who are dear to us die or when loneliness overwhelms our hearts, how do we know comfort? Certainly, this pandemic heightens the despair. Locked down in her nursing home, mom faded away until the grief overwhelmed her. What could I do? Finally, they set up zoom and it seemed for a moment she knew and returned while I read to her a poem written just for her. Then, I knew. Mom, our great prayer warrior needed me to place her on comfort care only. Her fight here was over quickly and on her last day, my son was allowed in to sit with her a while.
We hear all the noise around us, clamoring for our hearts to be drowned in the sorrow, anger, fighting, and pain. But the truth is: God is Sovereign. He is on His throne. No President is ever elected outside of His will. We who know Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord can know comfort, though the world around us is raging. That does not mean, I isolate from the world. Rather, I must vote in this election. Furthermore, I must stand firm in the truth of the gospel, rejoicing in Him though my heart is breaking in despair. I can rest in knowing His unfailing grace. He is on His throne and for that reason alone, my spirit can take refuge. My heart, though broken, can rise to soar like the wings of eagles.
My refuge, my strength and my hope are firmly held in His right hand of righteousness. I know comfort in such a time as this because I know Him. That was true in Isaiah’s days and it is true today. Therefore,
Know Comfort, Thus give comfort
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak [a]comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
For she has received from the Lord’s hand
Double for all her sins.” Isaiah 40:1-2
My iniquity is pardoned. What a wondrous thought. From the Lord’s hand, I have received both Mercy and Grace. He has taken away my sins and given me His righteousness. Not just for yesterday, but today and tomorrow. Therefore, it is His future grace that sustains me. Oh for that I cling to Him, yearning to be more like Him every day. Let me become:
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight [b]in the desert
A highway for our God.
Why? Because
4 Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made [c]straight
And the rough places smooth;
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 40
He has spoken. Is that not enough to know comfort? So, what do I proclaim to all those around me?
6 The voice said, “Cry out!”
And [d]he said, “What shall I cry?”
“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
BE NOT AFRAID. Instead, behold Your God!
9 O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God shall come [e]with a strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His [f]work before Him.
11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
We can know comfort; because we know that He will return and reign in perfect justice, peace, and joy. Focused on Him, we have no place to fear. Because He, the Almighty God is on our side! Therefore, all who know Him as Savior and Lord, have nothing to fear.
12 Who has measured the [g]waters in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a [h]span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has taught Him?
14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,
And taught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?
He Rules Over Nations
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,
Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before Him are as nothing,
And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.
18 To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare to Him?
……..
21 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
23 He [j]brings the princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless.
24 Scarcely shall they be planted,
Scarcely shall they be sown,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,
When He will also blow on them,
And they will wither,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.
Have You Not Known
25 “To whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
For this we Know Comfort
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
Shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Therefore, we stand on His word
Isaiah 41
10 Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.
12 You shall seek them and not find them—
[e]Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you
Shall be as nothing,
As a nonexistent thing.
13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’
14 “Fear not, you worm Jacob,
You men of Israel!
I will help you,” says the Lord
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel
Concluding thoughts”
Some time ago in the corner of my Bible beside these scriptures, I wrote, “I am God’s Plan”. I do not know what it was that I was going through at the time; but this I know—I am God’s Plan. In the center of His all-encompassing plan, He called my name. There is no other explanation for a child of five understanding the truth of sin, and then with a repentant heart filled with sorrow to know that my only hope of salvation was to trust in the blood of Christ shed for me. Yet, that is exactly what happened. Since that day, He has never let go. Though I failed Him often along this journey, He has remained faithful to me. Transforming my heart, day by day—He remains lovingly present. I know comfort because I know Him. Do you?
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD?
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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Disclosures
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2020
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Credits
Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.