Comfort for a Day of Trouble
Table of Contents
Comfort for a Day of Trouble: Part 3, Joy
Joy sometimes seems very far away from the sorrowing child of God, and not to be realized, or even spoken of, in seasons of affliction, and yet the Lord has linked sorrow and joy closely together. He says, "Your sorrow shall be turned into joy" (John 16:20); and, "Ye now therefore have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." John 16:22. We are also told that "they that sow in tears shall reap in joy." Psalm 126:5. And joy being one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), it grows in the heart of every saint; but we must remember that our joy is in the Lord, and not in our constantly changing circumstances. Paul and Silas, when shamefully entreated at Philippi, were thrust into the inner prison, and their feet were made fast in the stocks; but their hearts being free, and their joy being in the Lord, at midnight they "prayed, and sang praises unto God." The apostle Paul, writing to the saints at Philippi,, amid all the sad surroundings of a Roman prison, exhorts them to "rejoice in the Lord alway." And when the Jews of Antioch raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts, we read that "the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost." Acts 13. So that it is quite possible for a child of God to be filled with joy in the most trying circumstances. The Lord says to His disciples, just as He is about to leave them, "These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." John 15:11. Again, "Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:24.
The apostle John also says, "These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." 1 John 1:4. And Peter, speaking to us about the Lord Jesus Christ, declares, "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 1 Peter 1:8. Thus we find that the present portion of every saint of God is "fullness of joy." "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Neh. 8:10. And it is according to the measure in which we cultivate and enjoy fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ, that we enter into this "fullness of joy." If we can rejoice in the Lord always, with so much in and around us to hinder and interrupt our joy, what must it be for those who are absent from the body, and present with the Lord. David could say, "In Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Psalm 16:11.
Would that we realized more fully the exceeding blessedness of those who are "with Christ." There they wait in all the rest and joy of His own presence, for that blessed moment when "the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." For the same blessed moment we wait also, but it is down here amid toil, sorrow and bereavement that we do so. "Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
May we take every sorrow, trial, and bereavement from our Father's loving hand, and enjoy the Lord's deep sympathy each step of the wilderness journey, remembering that we are passing on to that blessed moment when "He will rest in His love," joy over us with singing, and present us "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”
"Lord Jesus, come!
The Man of Sorrows once,
The Man of patience waiting now,
The Man of Joy forever Thou,
Come, Savior, come!
“Spirit and Bride,
With longing voice, say Come;
Yea, Lord, Thy word from that bright home
Is, 'Surely I will quickly come!'
E'en so, Lord, come.”
(Continued from page 165)
(Concluded)
Comfort for a Day of Trouble: Part 1
“Ye now therefore have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." John 16:22.
When God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, afflicts or chastens one of His beloved children, He would assure our sorrowing hearts of His unerring, unchangeable love-a love too which always considers the good of its object, and never makes a mistake, but ever has a deep, rich blessing in reserve, into which it is the desire and delight of the blessed God to lead us when the sorrow or affliction through which He has passed us has accomplished His purpose in our souls.
“'T is His great delight to bless us;
O, how He loves!”
We find the bitter waters of affliction to be very grievous while passing through them. At times the deep waves of sorrow seem to roll to high, and to press with overwhelming force and strength upon our souls; but the Word declares that" God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Cor. 10:13.
God would have us turn away our eyes from the raging waves and rolling billows; and our ears from the fierce howling winds, to listen to His well-known voice speaking to our hearts, and saying, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." Matt. 14:27.
How delighted the poor, frightened disciples must have been to hear their Master's well-known voice! and how gladly they would receive Him into their little ship! With Jesus on board, all was peace; the One by whom, and for whom all things were created, had by His word bound the winds and stayed he 'waves, and "there was a great calm." His eyes and His heart had followed that little ship as it rose and fell upon the angry waves, because His own were in it; and as they were being tossed about upon the raging waters, He was up above it all, alone with the Father, praying for them. In their time of need He comes to them, and carries them safely across to "the other side.”
The lesson is learned, the storm has produced its intended effect, and now they can enjoy their beloved Master's company on "the other side." "The Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebuketh the sea. * * * The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him." Nahum 1.
It may be that God, in His infinite wisdom and love, has sent some great sorrow upon you -such anguish of heart and bereavement as you have never counted upon or expected to pass through. The desire of your heart may have been taken away from you with a stroke. (Ezek. 24:16.) The sea, the fire, or the railway train have, perhaps, been God's way of removing from your side, and your sight, one dearer to your heart than all else you possess.
Like Job of old, you may have said in your heart, "I shall die in my nest." Job 29:18. But in order to instruct you in His ways, God has come in, stirred up your nest, and taken the choicest nestling away.
The young eagles can never know the strength of the wings that bear them, nor the warmth and softness of the feathers spread out for their rest and comfort, until they leave the nest. God in His divine wisdom and infinite love, has stirred up some of our nests; but the everlasting arms are beneath and around us, and our Great High Priest ever liveth to make intercession for us, so that in the day of sorrow and bereavement our faith does not fail. The Comforter, now present, would seek to turn our gaze away from the spoiled and empty "nest," to the Father's house and the many mansions yonder, where Jesus is; from the heavy cloud of sorrow at present overhanging the path, to the bright eternal glory so soon to burst forth-when the Lord Himself shall come and with a shout of joy take us away from sin and sorrow to be with Him, and like Him forever. Earth has one less for many a desolate heart, but heaven has one more.
We read of a shepherd who wanted to get his flock of sheep across some mountain stream into a place of safety; but they refused to cross, and again and again turned aside from the water, Night was quickly coming on, he could no longer delay, so he went to the side of a bleating dam, and taking her little lamb in his arms carried it across the stream to the other side. The dam immediately followed, was the first over, and then the whole flock crossed too. Thus the Good Shepherd sometimes takes a loved one from us and carries our lamb in His bosom safely to the other side, forming a strong link between our hearts here, and Himself where He is. He would have us follow Him more closely (no longer afar off), for the nearer we keep to the Shepherd, the more we help the rest of the flock.
The widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17) to whom the prophet Elijah was sent, had an only son. She knew what it was to trust in the Lord God of Israel, and had in her house an unfailing cruise of oil, a barrel of meal that wasted not. A day came when death entered that house. Her child died. Then the hidden chambers of her heart, so long locked up; the secrets of that heart so carefully concealed from every eye, are opened by the finger of God, and she says to the prophet: "What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?”
“Give my thy son," says Elijah, and he takes him out of her bosom, and carries him up; and while the poor mother sits below in sorrow and bereavement, a wonderful scene goes on above. The dead child is laid in the living prophet's bed, and quicker than electric telegraphy, there are communications established between earth and heaven.
The prophet prayed, and we read, "The Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijha took the child, and brought him down * * * and delivered him unto his mother; and Elijah said, "See, thy son liveth." And the woman said to Elijah, "Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth." The lesson was learned, her soul had increased in the knowledge of God, and no doubt that day of death and resurrection marked the beginning of a new period in the house of the widow of Zarephath.
“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Heb. 12:11. "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Cor. 4:17, 18.
The Lord knows each sorrow through which "His own" are passing, not a sigh is breathed, not a groan uttered, not a tear shed without His knowledge. David says to Him, "Put Thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?" (Psalm 56:8) and Jehovah, when speaking to Moses about His afflicted people in Egypt, says, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people * * * and have heard their cry, * * * for I know their sorrows." Exodus 3:7.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the sent One of the Father, when passing through this world, was a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Thus we read, "Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." Isaiah. 53:3, 4.
Go to lone Gethsemane, and hear Him say, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here, and watch with Me" (Matt. 26:38), and gaze upon Him with adoring heart as He kneeled down and prayed, saying, "Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done," then "there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." Luke 22. The blessed Lord Jesus Christ may well say to His poor and afflicted people. "Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto My sorrow." Lam. 1:12. Pass on to Calvary. There, that blessed, perfect One tasted sorrow as none of His own ever have done, or can do. Listen to the breathings of His heart in Psalm 22:
“My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? * * * I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. * * * I am poured out like water, and 'all My bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of My bowels. * * * they pierced My hands and My feet." And again, in Psalm 69: "I was the song of the drunkards. * * * Reproach hath broken My heart; and I am full of heaviness, and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They gave Me also gall for My meat; and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink.”
There are many sorrowing hearts in this poor sin-stricken world, and many bottles of tears are being shed day after day, and night after night: but God tells us it will not be always so, for there is a day coming when He Himself shall wipe away all tears from the eyes of His people. (Rev. 21:4.) Just think of God's blessed hand wiping away His poor sorrowing people's tears! and it will so delight His heart to do it that He will not commit this service of love to an angel, not even to Gabriel. He will wipe away their tears Himself. Then those eyes that have been so often and so long dimmed by the hot, fast-flowing tears of grief and sorrow will never shed another, how could they?
"And God has fixed the happy day,
When the last tear shall dim our eyes,
When He shall wipe these tears away,
And fill our hearts with glad surprise;
To hear His voice, and see His face,
And know the fullness of His grace.”
(To be continued)
Comfort for a Day of Trouble: Part 2, Sympathy
“We have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities." Heb. 4:15. When passing through sorrow how instinctively we look for sympathy, and it is blessed to know that there is in the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ perfect sympathy for every suffering saint. Think of Him now as seated on the right hand of the Majesty on high, and yet He is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities," so that we can always look up to Him and say-
"Jesus, my sorrow lies too deep
For human ministry,
It knows not how to tell itself
To any but to Thee.
It is enough, my precious Lord,
Thy tender sympathy;
There is no sorrow e'er so deep
But I may bring to Thee.”
The Lord Jesus Christ is able to sympathize with sorrow as none upon earth can. When down here there was no sorrow like His, and now that He is in the glory there is no sympathy like His. It is perfect, and the more you draw upon it, the deeper and fuller you find it. It satisfies and heals. Yes, the glorified Head in heaven knows and feels every sorrow, and all the suffering through which the feeblest member of His body upon earth is passing. He is touched by it, and able to sympathize with each one in it.
Mary of Bethany tasted the blessedness of His sympathy when she fell down at the feet of Jesus, saying unto Him, "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, He groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, "Where have ye laid him?" They said unto Him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept.
How those tears of Jesus must have spoken to the desolate hearts of the sorrowing sisters as they walked together with Him to the tomb of their brother Lazarus, and though He knew their sorrow would soon pass away in the joy of resurrection, they tasted and enjoyed His sympathy every step of the path. Do you think those sisters ever forgot that walk? Those tears of Jesus, all His deep sympathy? Never! And may we not say that, what they learned then of the love of His heart more than compensated them for all their sorrow and bereavement. They found themselves "more than conquerors" through Him that loved them. The widow of Nain knew something of the Lord's love and sympathy when He bound up her broken heart with the words, "Weep not," raised her only son to life again, and delivered him back to her. Jairus also knew it when the Lord said unto him, "Fear not, believe only," and going with him to his house raised his only daughter to life again. How striking that in each of the three instances recorded by the Holy Ghost in the gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ raising the dead to life, it is an only one. Mary and Martha's only brother, the widow of Nain's only son, and Jairus' only daughter. God knows how to estimate what He asks us for, or takes from us. He says to Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." Gen. 22:1, 2. How touching, the words "Thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest," God thus giving a name to that deep well of joyful emotion which sprang up and filled Abraham's heart when he received his Isaac as from the dead. How fitting that the blessed God Himself, who "is love," should be the first to speak of love to His friend Abraham. Not till we come to Genesis 22 is the word love mentioned in Scripture, and then it is connected with an only son.
When the Holy Ghost would convey to our minds something of the depths of sorrow and repentance to which the people of God will be brought by Him in a time yet future, says, "They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." Zech. 12:10.
The Lord Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8), but we know Him now in a way that neither Mary of Bethany, nor the widow of Nain ever could have done.
When down here He was the Man of Sorrows; but having died, risen again, and ascended into heaven, he is now the Man in the glory, and He is our Great High Priest, set down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. (Heb. 8:1.) "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." Heb. 7:25. "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Heb. 4:15, 16.
"Most merciful High Priest,
Our Savior, Shepherd, Friend,
'T is in Thy love alone we trust
Until the end.
“Thou wilt our souls sustain.
Our Guide and strength wilt be
Until in glory, Lord, above,
'Thy face we see.”
(Continued from page 129)
(To be continued)