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Not IF the CARES are MANY, but WHEN the CARES are MANY
Not IF the CARES are MANY, but WHEN the CARES are MANY
Jesus spoke His apostles in John 15:18-23 about the difficult afflictions and sufferings they would experience. He spoke these words to establish assurance in their heart by saying, “…in me ye may have peace…” (John 16:33). When day and night we look for relief, peace, and comfort (Romans 8:19-22) and often lose heart and strength (2 Corinthians 1:8), those words in John 16:33 sustain us each day.
There is a passage of comfort care in Psalm 94:17-19, especially v.19: “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your consolations delight my soul.” (NASV). Our next step is toward embracing the consolations of God. These consolations of God are large. They described who HE is and actions to bring comfort and hope in the midst of hardships. There are also small comforts/blessings God gives each day we live. Each consolation is visible by faith through and beyond the moment of pain, fear, or anxiety.
Every consolation is an operation of God’s power, infinite, pointed consolation, where even a sparrow cannot fall to the ground apart from God (Matthew 10:29) and the knowledge of every hair is numbered (Luke 12:7). It is when all the questions and concerns arise, God’s love appears. Psalm 94:18 highlights God’s “lovingkindness…held me up”. The Father’s loyal, faithful, abounding, never-ending love is not spared. “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). This Love is LARGE. So LARGE is the consolation of God’s love, nothing shall separate us from His Love being bestowed upon us. No matter how LARGE the issue, topic, or concern, Romans 8:35-39 says none of them are bigger than God’s love to us.
God’s wisdom is the consolation our hearts experience by understanding God knows what he is doing. Two great demonstrations of this consolation is: Job, holding on to God’s wisdom and word when my life screams for help and relief and wants to shout – “It’s not fair!”; The other is illustrated in Jesus prior to and at the cross, when a voice pleas to “remove this cup”, and later says, “My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me”. Jesus is consoled in the wisdom of the Father – “thy will be done”.
The consolation of God’s presence. Psalm 23:4, Matthew 28:20, Acts 17:27, and Hebrews 13:5,6 each speak to the presence of God at a needed place in life. Each one brings presence to the lonely, despaired, uncertain, uneasy, or frightened. Each one delivers the consolation of God’s operating close by, not at a distance. Psalm 94 turns a breaking heart to consolation with the words “Unless Jehovah had been my help. My soul had soon dwelt in silence…Thy comforts delight my soul” (v.17,19).
By the power, love, wisdom, and presence of God, whatever the care and however many they be, God promises: “For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” (Jeremiah 31:25).
