Two kinds of comfort…

 

Consider this chain of events: The world is in a mess > It makes me feel awful > I want to be comfortable > I shut out what is going on > My world is a happier place. OR this one: The world is a mess > My heart is burdened > I realize I cannot fix it > I call out to God in prayer > He assures me that His will is done > I am at peace even though the mess does not go away.

God often comforts by removing the cause of my distress, or by giving me the ability to trust Him in the distress, but no real comfort comes if I try to get rid of it (which is beyond my power anyway) or ignore it, which can produce ulcers if nothing else.

How does God provide deeper water? It is not mysterious. In the power of the Holy Spirit, He reminds me of truth concerning Himself, a passage of Scripture, a verse from a hymn, a word from a Christian friend, a sermon, even the beauty of creation. In other words, He tells me about Himself and diverts my focus to His incredible goodness. Thinking truth about God comforts me.

Most marvelous is that God is honest, not two-faced. He is not like we humans can be with our mouth saying one thing and our mind thinking the opposite. This can show up even in my prayers so when distressed, I need to pray with integrity, not saying what sounds good but having my words match what I really think, like the psalmist who knew — God knows the heart:

Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! (Psalm 17:1)
And not deserving the rebuke God gave to those whose words did not match their deeds:
Have you not just now called to me, ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth— will he be angry forever, will he be indignant to the end?’ Behold, you have spoken, but you have done all the evil that you could.” (Jeremiah 3:4–5)

God is not fooled by pretense. Jacob duped his father into thinking he was Esau. Those tribes apostatized from the true religion went to seek the Lord and sacrifice yet God’s prophet said of them:

With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find him; he has withdrawn from them. They have dealt faithlessly with the Lord; for they have borne alien children. Now the new moon shall devour them with their fields. (Hosea 5:6–7)

As if God did not know their hearts. To do such things and continue to outwardly claim faith and obedience is saying my comfort is more important so if I flatter God with my words and outer actions, I’m okay. This is deceit and an unworthy concept of God. How can I satisfy the guilt of inward sins by external service, or by a loud voice with a false heart? God is far more interested in honesty and truth than any sacrifice with pretense or for outward appearance.

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6)
(God)  stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, (Proverbs 2:7)

That said, God does not want me to say “I am fine” to impress others (or Him) when I am hurting or setting inside. This is not integrity. Yet if I am hurting but also experiencing that ‘deeper water’ that James 1:2-4 offers, then I can honestly say “I am fine” because God has given me the joy of the Holy Spirit in my trials. It all boils down to who or what I am listening to — truth from God or the ideas of the world, my flesh, or the devil.

PRAY: Jesus, I remember reading how the way a person handles stress will predict their health (When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Maté) and one of those ways is faking on the outside what is going on in the inside. Your Word speaks of this also. How vital to be honest about my inner life, whether it is rocky and uncomfortable, or rocky with enough deep water from You to glide over the rocks with joy. Your truths are blessing me and today I am still joyful — my body is tired and sore, but that joy makes such a difference!