The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"The God of All Comfort"
"Every temptation to fear must find us approaching our Lord with 'I will trust in Thee' flowing from our hearts, and sounding upon our lips."
Our beagle Ellie has a special gift, although she may not perceive it as such.
Ellie is easily frightened by both sights and sounds. When this happens, she looks for Frances or myself to comfort and reassure her, seeking to be held and spoken to in calm and encouraging tones. We love this, of course, not that we want her to be scared, but that she looks to us when things trouble her.
"What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee" (Psalm 56:3).
It rarely happens that I do not think of our Heavenly Father when seeking to comfort Ellie. "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation" (II Corinthians 1:3-4). Mainly, I realize how blessed He is when we come to Him for reassurance, far more than are we by receiving it. Presently, life will bring its frights and insecurities to us. We live in a fearful world, both in real and perceived dangers. Our flesh reacts to portents of harm, a good thing in one sense because fearful reactions can serve as a a signal to avoid danger. However, those fears that abide with us as paralyzing hindrances to our walk with the Lord in His peace must be overcome.
"God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (II Timothy 1:7).
Ellie illustrates what to do when life tempts us fear and insecurity. Of course, we cannot physically approach our Lord for His comfort. We can, however, draw near to Him in heart and in faith. We can join the Psalmist in his affirmation above that times of being afraid offer the blessed opportunity of trusting the Lord Jesus Christ. It matters not the nature or measure of the trial. Be they many or few, real or perceived, every temptation to fear must find us approaching our Lord with "I will trust in Thee" flowing from our hearts, and sounding upon our lips. We will find Him faithful and more than able to to secure our hearts in His peace. Moreover, like Frances and I so love to reassure Ellie, our Father will love comforting us more than we love to be comforted. How could this not be regarding "the God of all comfort?"
In this moment, the Prince, the Prince of peace, offers us His heart of peace as our haven in times of temptation to worry, fret, and fear. The Holy Spirit who came to dwell within our spirits when we believed is not a "spirit of fear." Power, love, and a sound mind rather flow from His presence to our hearts. Our role involves remembering and affirming the truth by coming to our Father for His promised assurance. Our beagle Ellie serves as a great example to Frances and myself of one who knows where to go when afraid. We love to comfort her, but as we will all find when coming to our Heavenly Father, not nearly so much as He loves to comfort us.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me… In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul."
(Psalm 23:4; 94:19)
Weekly Memory Verse
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
(Matthew 6:33)
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