COMFORT
John Laurie
Psalm 94: 19; 23: 4; 119: 81, 82
Acts 9: 31
It may already be evident that all of these scriptures make reference to comfort, and I seek help to say a little about that, because I am very conscious that both locally and elsewhere, as we have just been reminded in the earlier word, many are passing through times of burden and exercise and comfort is very much needed. Some locally, I have no doubt, especially feel the need of comfort just at this point, and how good it is if any of us, while passing through difficult times, are able to take up these words of the psalmist and be able to say,
In the multitude of my anxious thoughts within me thy comforts have delighted
my soul.
It is a very blessed thing, if that should be so. It may be at times that we tend to get overwhelmed with the burdens and the difficulties, but the sufficiency of divine grace would help us, as we draw near to divine Persons, to rise above the burdens and the difficulties, and find comfort, comfort to our souls. This is a very precious verse that has many times been a cheer to others, and I may add to myself,
In the multitude of my anxious thoughts within me thy comforts have delighted
my soul.
In reading this verse, I would not want in any way to set aside the considerations that have been before us concerning the Lord Jesus and all that He went through, and the burdens and the griefs and the sorrows that He bore. So far as men were concerned, as we are prophetically reminded, He looked for comforters and found none, Ps 69: 1. Such were the sorrows the Lord passed through in a public way, though ever in the enjoyment of the intimacy of his Father’s love, and appreciative of those that the Father had given Him. The Lord felt these things in a public way and experienced the reproach and the despisal and being left alone of men. But here the psalmist is rejoicing in the consciousness of divine comfort. And the question arises, ‘How would God convey that comfort to us? What characterises it, and how does it come to us?’. Well, I think we would have to say that it comes in many ways. It has to do considerably with the circumstances we are passing through, whether they be circumstances of difficulty and burden in regard of our health or in regard of our families or in regard of employment, circumstances, finance or whatever it may be. Many things may burden us, and comfort comes in different ways, according to the wisdom and the love of God.
But the psalmist here in Psalm 23 said,
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
I read this verse in order to make specific reference to these two things he was conscious of while passing through the valley of the shadow of death. You may wonder if that only has application to those facing extremity at the end of their lives, but that is not so. We are all passing through the valley of the shadow of death. None of us has assurance of continuity of life here, and if we are left here, we have to face death, and those of us growing older are made more conscious of that, perhaps than others. But to some degree, we are all passing through the valley of the shadow of death. Why then should the psalmist say, while conscious of that,
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me?
I believe the Lord has a particular reference to guidance, and it may be discipline that comes in, in the ways of God, and He uses that for our preservation so that we should be preserved in the paths of life. The psalmist was walking through the valley of the shadow of death, but he was not overwhelmed with despair. He was comforted in that God was with him. How blessed to be assured that the Lord is with us. That is a very, very precious thing.
I sometimes look at a verse in Hebrews 13: 5: "for he has said, I will not leave thee, neither will I forsake thee". How precious that is, that word "he" is put in italics to emphasise its significance: “he has said, I will not leave thee, neither will I forsake thee”. It is not just me who is saying that tonight, though I am personally conscious that the Lord would graciously do that and would never desert any one of His own. But He has said, “I will not leave thee, neither will I forsake thee”. And so it may be even in passing through times of difficulty and particular grief, we are made conscious that the Lord is near.
It may be necessary that the rod has to guide us. Perhaps we find in our pathways that if it were not so, we might well go completely astray and be lost altogether in the course of the testimony at the present time. How thankful we are then for the rod of guidance, and it may be discipline, in the wisdom of divine ways preserving us in what we have to pass through, whether that applies again to our health or circumstances, or whatever it may. But then there is also the staff. The two things are put together, “thy rod and thy staff”. I think the staff has a particular reference to support and help. While passing through these difficulties, we are not left to our own resources; the sufficiency of divine grace and the consciousness of the nearness of divine love would bear us up, “thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”. May we be comforted even tonight. It may be some of us here have burdens right now. Let us be comforted in the fresh reminder of the nearness of the Lord Jesus and of His wonderful grace. He would, if need be, bring in some discipline, to correct us in our ways, or, in any case, guide us, but then to support us too with His staff.
But I read in Psalm 119, because these verses bring in another way that comfort comes in. The psalmist speaks as if he was almost fainting for want of assurance of the word of God coming in to bring its comfort into his soul. He was just longing for a fresh communication by God’s word, saying,
When will thou comfort me?
He was longing just for a word to come in from God to comfort his heart. I would trust that what is being said now may come as a word from the Lord to comfort us. Think of the word of the Lord coming in just to bring in its own comfort. We often feel that a word spoken to us, it may be, or a word read by us, just comes in as a special comfort in the midst of circumstances of burden and care. How good if we find just a word that suits the moment in its preciousness. It would be an exercise therefore for us to seek the word of the Lord, just as the psalmist did. Do we read the Scriptures? Do we look for a word of comfort? Do we pray to the Lord? Do we have ears open, ready to hear so that we might receive a word of comfort? May it be so with each one of us, so that we are not left in any despair for want of a word.
My soul fainteth for thy salvation; I hope in thy word.
Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When will thou comfort me?
It is evident from other passages that the psalmist did find joy and comfort because he received these words. If I was to refer, for example, to verse 103 he says there:
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! more than honey to my mouth!
How precious they must have been when they came to him, and were so sweet to his taste and so enjoyable as he was able to appropriate the word that was conveyed to him.
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! more than honey to my mouth!
Well, last of all, I read in the Acts, because it is not an individual thing there, but a collective thing. It is a reference to the assemblies: “The assemblies then throughout the whole of Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified and walking in the fear of the Lord, and were increased through the comfort of the Holy Spirit”.
That is a very fine thing. It does not necessarily convey in that passage, I would judge, that there was particular relief as to circumstances, except in so far as they had peace. But sometimes we still pass through times of difficulty and exercise, and yet find that the Holy Spirit would help us to gain increase through what is passed through. The word “edified” conveys the thought of what is being built up in the truth. “Being edified and walking in the fear of the Lord”: the saints prospered by doing that. May we be encouraged coming here even tonight, and may it create exercise to stir ourselves, to be here and to be at the occasions during the week. But there is a blessing in that it says, “being edified and walking in the fear of the Lord, and we are increased through the comfort of the Holy Spirit”. That is spiritual comfort and increase, not necessarily comfort to our bodies or in material things, but in a special way to do with spiritual comfort brought in by the Holy Spirit. They were increased. Oh, that we all might increase in spiritual stature and knowledge of God, when increased through the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Well, I pass on these thoughts and desire indeed that it might be an encouragement and present comfort to all of us and for glory to God.
Word in Ministry Meeting, Brechin
9th October 2024