Comfort

Have you ever been tested? Severely tested? If you answered that question, “Yes,” you can relate to Abraham in today’s passage. And, even if you haven’t experienced it yet, you will also see in this passage that God is always at work, and he always provides.

Have you ever grown tired of waiting on God? That’s what happened to Abraham’s wife, Sarah. She decided to take matters into her own hands. Since she had not been able to have children, she told Abraham to sleep with her maidservant Hagar, which he did. Hagar became pregnant, and Sarah became jealous. Hagar finally ran away to escape the mistreatment. The angel of the Lord found her near a spring in the desert.

Normally, we are the ones asking, “Why?” But in today’s passage, God turns the tables. Speaking “out of the whirlwind,” God peppers Job with questions. Anytime God begins the conversation with “Dress for action like a man,” you better know that God has something to say, and he wants you to hear it!

God’s presence with us is one of the most powerful experiences of our lives. It gives us comfort when we are down, courage when we are fearful, and confidence when we doubt. And…let’s be honest. There are times in our humanness that we want to get away from God. We desire to run far from him. We want to do something we know he would not approve of. God’s presence is powerful…and…sometimes we want to be left alone. We seek God’s companionship…on our terms. I believe this is what David is getting at in Psalm 139:11-12.

Sin provides my greatest satisfaction apart from God. Sin is fun…for a time (Hebrews 11:25). It meets my fleshly desires. It gives me control. I think thoughts I want to think. I savor emotions that meet my needs. I do the things I want to do. Sin is all about me and all about me wanting to be in control.

Broken hearts come in many forms. Some are crushed by a sixth-grade break-up; others when a spouse walks out after twenty-five years. Some come from the rejection of a dear friend; others by reckless words that pierce like a sword.

Immanuel. God with us. What a powerful name! What a comforting name! At one point in history, Immanuel walked planet Earth and lived with man. Now, for the rest of history, he reigns from heaven, and his Spirit lives in us.

One day Jesus will wipe away every tear and welcome you to the home where pain, suffering, crying, and tears cannot enter. Your darkest night will one day be erased by the view of the Son.

It’s time to escape the storm and “abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”