Comforted by God

This week as Americans follow the lead of a concerned daughter from Grafton, WV, we remember our mothers and seek to show them honor. Of all the blessings that come from our mothers, the blessing of comfort may be the most appreciated, and if your mother has gone on, the most missed. For believers, the following quote from an internationally known Christian Indian holy man from the early twentieth century, Sadhu Sundar Singh, is applicable for us all.

“A little child often runs to its mother and exclaims: ‘Mother! Mother!’ Very often the child does not want anything in particular; he only wants to be near his mother, to sit upon her lap, or to follow her about the house, for the sheer pleasure of being near her, talking to her, hearing her dear voice. Then the child is happy. His happiness does not consist in asking and receiving all kinds of things from his mother. If that were what he wanted, he would be impatient and obstinate and therefore unhappy. No, his happiness lies in feeling his mother’s love and care, and in knowing the joy of her mother love.” “It is just the same with the true children of God; they do not trouble themselves so much about spiritual blessings. They only want to sit at the Lord’s feet, to be in living touch with Him, and when they do that they are supremely content.”

We need to be running to God on a more regular basis, simply calling His name, longing to be close to Him, to feel the warmth of His presence. When those around you are similar to Job’s ‘miserable comforters’ (Job 16:2), then you need to turn to God. When the sorrows of this life make you forget that God is so amazing that He can use your suffering to bless you with an infusion of His nature; then take upon you the yoke and burden that is light.

God has done everything He has ever done so that He can be close to you. He was even ‘pleased to crush His Son, if He would render Himself as a guilt offering’ (Isa. 53:10 NAS). The love of God is not in question. Obviously, He ‘so’ loved. But how strongly do we long to be close to Him? How often and sincerely do we call His name? How careful are we to behave in ways that welcome us to His ‘holy hill’ (Psalm 15)? If we spend our treasures of time, attention, effort and blessings on seeking God, then that is where our hearts will be (Mat. 6:21). Let’s purposely set our hearts and our minds ‘above, where He is’ (Col 3:1-2).

Sadly, we can easily find ourselves like the wife of many years who is sitting on the long bench seat of their old, restored pick-up and wistfully comments to her husband who is way over on the other side of the cab; “Honey, do you remember when we used to sit so close to each other that you couldn’t get a piece of paper between us?” Her husband who was driving replied, “Honey, I haven’t moved.”

Let’s give the devotional time, the focus in prayer, the honoring service, the heartfelt praise, the shared testimony and whatever else that draws us ever closer to our true and constant source of comfort when all others have failed.

Because He lives,

Jack