The Sincere Comfort of God!

04 Aug 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2 Corinthians 1:3.       Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies, and the God of all comfort.

And the summer festivities continue to make front page news, like the Olympics in France, and the Toronto Carnival, or what ever is its the new name, capturing the lion’s share of the news in Toronto. But please note, that despite the new title, the carnival festivities in Toronto will forever be known as Caribana in the hearts of the people. For names are continually changing, but not so people’s hearts. (smile) 

Anyway, it’s Sunday, that means we need to take a break from the external worldly celebrations and turn to the internal spiritual ones in the sanctuary of God with other believers, so we can give Him much thanks and praise for getting us safely through this week and asking for His awesome mercy and grace to continue into the upcoming week. So let’s get on with it by singing our worship song for today, aptly titled, ‘God Will Make A Way!’ 

And isn’t that the gospel truth, as I found out from personal experience yesterday evening in the Exhibition Stadium, when I was struggling to make it to my venue, and He sent one of the supervisors of the grounds to give us an unexpected lift in his golf cart, and then gave me the strength and energy to walk back the long distance to the car at the end of the show. Now that might be the lesson, or one of the lessons, He wanted me to learn through that experience, who knows, but I’ll surely remember it. (smile) 

Unfortunately though, the song we’re about to sing was born out of a much more tragic situation. The author, Don Moen, a previous choir director of The Hour of Power Religious Programme, had some of his family members depart this earthly life in a fatal vehicle accident some years ago, and deep in sorrow, on his way to the accident scene, while contemplating what to do, the Lord placed these words in his heart. Just another sign that God is always with us, whatever our circumstances, and we can always find comfort and reassurance in His presence. 

So, let’s offer up sweet sacrifices of praise in a sincere, mid-tempo, soulful version of the song, remembering times when God showed up unexpectedly and calmed our sorrows. Singing: ‘God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me And rivers in the desert will I see Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain And He will do something new today 

Oh, God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me And rivers in the desert will I see Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain And He will do something new today.

Oh, God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way.’ 

And if you’ve been a believer for a while, you’ll know that’s absolutely true! No friends, God will NEVER leave us in the lurch! He might not show up exactly when we want Him to, but He’s never late, and knows the best time to make His awesome appearance. And there are scriptures throughout the Bible speaking of God’s comforting nature, a few of which we can take a look at. And possibly the most well known one on the subject is this one from Bruh Paul in his second letter to the church at Corinth, where he writes in no uncertain terms. 

‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies, and the God of all comfort. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) Wow! Yuh see that mih people! Our God is the Great Comforter! And in comforting us, He gives us the power and the encouragement to comfort others! Isn’t He a most magnificent and LOVING God? He certainly is! 

Now listen to this other scripture where the prophet Isaiah talks about singing of God’s Comfort and Mercy. ‘Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking (nursing) child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven (inscribed) thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.’ (Is. 49:13-16) 

How much more of the Lord’s comfort can we ask for eh? Even if a mother forsakes her newborn baby, the Lord has promised never to forget His people. And He is a most faithful God. We see him again making a way for His people, Israel, when He brought them out of Egypt. The Bible says: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, or the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.’ (Ex. 13:21-22) What a great God we serve my brethren! 

Then we have this last scripture from Bruh Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, where he writes: ‘For when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without (outside) were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus; And not by his coming only, but by the consolation (comfort) wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me (zeal for me); so that I rejoiced the more.’ (2 Cor, 7:5-7) 

Yes my fellow saints, even the great apostle Bruh Paul needed comfort at times, and was comforted by the Lord in Macedonia through the coming of Titus with good news from the church at Corinth. Likewise, all of us need comfort at one time or another, and there’s no better place to seek it than from our heavenly Father and each other! Much LOVE!

…God…in His awesome wisdom…provides a chain of comfort…from Him to us…then to each other…and back to Him again…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 April 2022 Isaiah 43:11.

24 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Isaiah 43:11.       I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no saviour…. 

It’s time to come together friends, for our weekly tete a tete, our weekly heart to heart with our heavenly Father, where we offer up our praise and thanksgiving, while He showers us with renewed strength and confidence to face another trying week in this evil and ungodly world. And today, this first Sunday after Christ’s miraculous resurrection, we are going to open our worship with a heartfelt but oh so true song. It’s titled ‘God Will Make a Way.’ Its author is Don Moen, the music professor and long-time choir director for the Hour of Power Religious Programme. 

The story goes that some years ago, he received a phone call late one night, informing him that some of His family members had met in a fatal vehicle accident. We all know what that kind of phone call can bring, and deep in sorrow, he says, on his way to the accident scene, while contemplating what to do, the Lord placed these comforting words in his heart. Let’s sing them now nuh, with a real heartfelt and soulful feeling, knowing that they are true, because we too have experienced the marvellous comfort and LOVE of our great God in our times of sorrow. 

So, in true sacrificial praise: ‘God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way. By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me And rivers in the desert will I see Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain And He will do something new today Oh, God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way. 

By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me And rivers in the desert will I see Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain And He will do something new today Oh, God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way.’ 

And if you are true and faithful believer, then you know that that is the God-awesome truth! Our God will ALWAYS make a way for us to handle whatever comes against us. Bruh Paul said it so well in 2 Corinthians. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) What an awesome God we serve my people! 

And if we are only new believers and haven’t had much of that kind of experience with God, His word is literally littered (smile) with occasions where He’s made a way, where there seemed to be no way. Look at how He told Noah to build and ark. Poor Noah didn’t have a clue about building an ark, but ended up building a big and sturdy craft that would have been a wonder of the world, even by today’s standards, by simply following God’s directions. The story can be found in Genesis chapter 6. 

The same thing goes for Abraham: God told him to pick up his family and leave for parts unknown, and at seventy-five years old, Abraham did as told, and God showed him the way to where He wanted him to go. Genesis 12 tells us that story. And what about when God told Abraham to sacrifice his only child Isaac, that’s after promising that Isaac would be his road to greatness. Abraham must have wondered what God was about, but again he remained faithful, and just as he was about to plunge the knife into Isaac’s heart, the Lord stopped him, and instead provided a ram tangled in the nearby bushes for the sacrifice. That you can find in Genesis 22. 

Then check out the descendants of Abraham, the Hebrew children enslaved in Egypt. The Lord heard their cry for freedom and after several hundred years, sent Moses to do the job. Moses was rather reluctant, but the Lord stood beside him all the way. And when Pharaoh finally allowed the Egyptians to leave, how did He do it? By parting the Red Sea and allowing the Hebrews to walk through on dry land, but then closing up the trench and drowning the Egyptians when they pursued them. Exodus 14 tells that rather interesting story. 

And God didn’t take them the easy route to the Promised Land, for fear that they would encounter warlike tribes and lose heart and return to Egypt. He took them the long, hard way, through the wilderness. ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night, in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.’ (Ex. 13:21) Wow! What an innovative and resourceful God is our Lord!  

And then, when it seemed they would die of thirst in the wilderness, they came to the bitter waters of Marah, and complained to Moses, who in turn cried out to the Lord for direction. He had Moses cast a tree into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. (Ex. 15:23-25) And when the children of Israel were hungry, the Lord sent them manna from heaven and quails enough to choke them. (smile) Ex. 16 tells that story. And though the Lord kept them in the wilderness for forty long years because of their stubborn disobedience, until all those who had come out of Egypt died, except Joshua and Caleb, He did so without their clothes or shoes wearing out, or them becoming sick. 

And without fail, all down through the ages, the Lord has looked after those who bowed down to Him in all sincerity and truth. And the most important promise, He made through the prophet Isaiah in speaking of the Lord as their only redeemer. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee (in thy place).’ (Is. 43:2-3) What a mighty promise that is friends! 

And later on in that chapter the Lord further declares: ‘I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no saviour…. Yea, before the day was I am he, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let (reverse) it?’ (Is. 43:11, 13) Now that’s a very good question. And the answer to it is NOBODY! 

Yes my fellow saints, our God is great and powerful enough to make big promises and to also keep them. And did He ever keep that big one about being the redeemer, which He fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Christ in the Easter Season, which we’ve just celebrated, in fact are still celebrating! (smile) 

So, if you are a true believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then there is no reason to fear anything this world can throw against us, for the Creator of heaven and earth, and all therein, has promised to protect His people who are called by His name. Glory Be! That means we can be assured of the Lord’s grace and mercy in any and every circumstance, of His making a way, where there seems to be no way, for He is the God of marvellous miracles! Much LOVE!

…I am the first…and I am the last…and beside me there is NO God… (Is. 44:6b) 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8