2005-04-10 - God's Comfort

Psalm 3, Part 6

Conclusion: God will provide comfort in the midst of our difficulties, and the opportunity to grow through them. As believers, we are not protected from the struggles of life, those that all men go through.

"He (God) causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45).

What we do have is the possibility of maturing spiritually through the realities of life. We have the joy of pleasing God, and this is what we are to live for. The deliverance He provides is what enables us to live in this way.

We also know we can look forward to final deliverance. We see so many passages that tell us to anticipate an eternity with the Lord. We read that we are to comfort one another with the promise of the Lord's return, our final deliverance.

But if we are comfortable here, if our life is easy, if we are not in pain, then the promise of His return doesn't seem really necessary to comfort us. If we are living for the Lord, then we will need comfort more often than not. And then the promise of an eternity with God takes on real meaning. We can look forward with anticipation:

"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17).

When we find ourselves in difficult times, we should certainly pray for relief and know God can release us. The goal of our lives, however, should not be freedom from the troubles of life, but the freedom God offers and makes available to live for Him under all conditions. If we understand how much the Lord has done for us, we can truly rejoice; we can truly be at peace.

This is the true deliverance that is ours. This really is "Special Deliverance!"

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation" (Romans 5:1-11).

Psalm 4 next week.

Comments or Questions?
Geoff

GKragen@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org