20091004

Prophet Isaiah preached tender comfort to the exiled Israelites: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem” (Isa. 40:1, 2a). He assured them of God’s love, forgiveness and restoration.  However, suffering Job did not feel any comfort from his friends.  He felt their judgment, criticism and admonishment – no comfort or tenderness in their words.  He felt their censure, charge and accusation: “I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all (Job 16:2)!  They did not comfort Job but judged him and in their hearts, poured contempt on him and derided him for hidden sins.  Even the Psalmist David, hounded by his enemies, found little solace: “Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none” (Ps. 69:20).  This is not the way to treat those who are suffering and in need of comfort and consolation.  Thankfully, our God is the “Father of compassion and the God of all comfort”.  He knows our pain, heartaches and distress.  Bible Commentator Matthew Henry says: “the Lord gives peace to the troubled conscience and to calm the raging passions of the soul.  He binds up the broken-hearted, heals the most painful wounds, give hope and joy under the heaviest sorrows.”

Do you know how to speak tenderly to comfort those in need of comfort?  The Christian who tells a “sufferer”: “It is a privilege to be called by God into such suffering” would not soothe the pain and sorrow of the “sufferer”.  The Bible tells us that those who have suffered are in a better position to comfort others.  They know and have felt the pain and agony of life’s difficulties.  This is exactly what Apostle Paul meant when he said:“we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Cor. 1:4).  Therefore, for those who have received comfort from our Lord must want to testify that God’s comfort is real and can be found in Jesus Christ.  They have been bestowed a crown of beauty instead of ashes, they have received the oil of gladness instead of mourning and been draped a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They must rise up to praise and glorify the Lord and stand tall as oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour and proclaim the comforting grace from our Lord (ref. Isa. 61:3).