COMFORTER
BREAD
1 The
LORD is my shepherd, I shall not
be in want. 2 He makes me lie down
in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths
of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for
you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:1-4 (NIV)
1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and
proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been
paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s
hand double for all her sins.
Isaiah 40:1-2 (NIV)
12 “I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you
fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass.” Isaiah
51:12 (NIV)
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD
has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness
for the prisoners, 2 to
proclaim the year of the LORD's
favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in
Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of
gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of
despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Isaiah
61:1-3 (NIV)
12 For this is what the LORD
says: “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like
a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her
knees. 13 As a mother comforts
her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” 14 When you see this, your heart will
rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants,
but his fury will be shown to his foes. Isaiah 66:12-14 (NIV)
11 For the LORD
will ransom Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. 12 They will come and shout for joy on the
heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD-- the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the
flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow
no more. 13 Then maidens will dance
and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into
gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. Jeremiah 31:11-13
(NIV)
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 (NIV)
5 For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had
no rest, but we were harassed at every turn--conflicts on the outside, fears
within. 6
But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of
Titus, 7 and not only by his coming
but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for
me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater
than ever. 2 Corinthians 7:5-7 (NIV)
3 Praise be to
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the
God of all comfort, 4 who comforts
us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the
comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For
just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through
Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are distressed, it is for
your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which
produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we
know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our
comfort. 2
Corinthians 1:3-7 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Though assaults be many, and my enemies
mighty, if God strengthen me, I have enough to comfort me; for the greater my
enemy, the more glorious my victory; and the more glorious my victory, the more
triumphant my glory.” K.H.
Von Bogatzky
“In Christ the heart of the Father is revealed, and
higher comfort there cannot be than to rest in the Father’s heart.” Andrew Murray
“As a
general principle, if we would exercise our memories more wisely, we might, in
our very darkest distress, strike a match that would instantaneously kindle the
lamp of comfort. There is no need for
God to create a new thing upon the earth in order to restore believers’ joy; if
they would prayerfully rake the ashes of the past, they would find light for
the present; and if they would turn to the book of truth and the throne of
grace, their candle would soon shine as before.
Let us then remember the loving-kindness of the Lord and rehearse His
deeds of grace. Let us open the volume
of recollection, which so richly illuminated with memories of His mercy, and we
will soon be happy. When the Divine
Comforter bends memory to His service, it is then the greatest earthly comfort
we can know.” C. H. Spurgeon
“Be not dismayed, but go to Him who is the God of all comfort, who
comforteth all those that are bowed down, and He will give you a word which
shall heal your wounds, and breathe peace into your spirit.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“Christianity
simply does not make sense until you face the sort of facts I have been
describing. Christianity tells people to repent and promises them
forgiveness. It therefore has nothing
(as far as I know) to say to people who do not know that they have anything to
repent of and who do not feel that they need any forgiveness. It is after you
have realized that there is a real moral law and a power behind the law and
that you have broken that law and put yourself wrong with that power - It is
after all this, and not a moment sooner, that Christianity begins to
talk...(Christianity) tells you how the demands of this law, which you and I
cannot meet, have been met on our behalf. How God himself becomes a man to save
man from the disapproval of God. It is an old story...All I am doing is to ask
people to face the facts - to understand the questions which Christianity
claims to answer. And they are very terrifying facts. I wish it was possible to
say something more agreeable. But I must say what I think true. Of course, I
quite agree that the Christian religion is, in the long run a thing of
unspeakable comfort. But it does not begin in comfort; it begins in the dismay
I am describing and it is no use at all to go on to that comfort without first
going through that dismay. In religion, as in war and everything else comfort
is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you
may find comfort in the end: If you look for comfort you will not get either
comfort or truth. - only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in
the end despair.”
CS Lewis, Mere Christianity
HEART SAVOR
- · God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received.
- · His presence brings comfort to the believer in Jesus.
- ·
God is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are
crushed in spirit.
