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Hope Anyway By Dave Branon
Read: Psalm 34:15–18
My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. Psalm 119:50
Among the hundreds of articles I’ve written for Our Daily Bread since 1988, a few stick in my mind. One such article is from the mid-1990s when I told of a time our three girls were away at camp or on mission trips, so six-year-old Steve and I had some guy time.
As we were enjoying an excursion to the airport, Steve turned to me and said, “It’s not as much fun without Melissa,” his eight-year-old sister and sidekick. Neither of us knew then how poignant those words would turn out to be. Life indeed has not been “as much fun” for the years since Mell died in a car accident as a teenager. The passage of time may dull the ache, but nothing takes the pain away completely. Time cannot heal that wound. But here’s something that can help: listening to, meditating on, and savoring the solace promised by the God of all comfort.
Listen: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (Lamentations 3:22).
Meditate: “In the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling” (Psalm 27:5).
Savor: “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (119:50).
Life can never be the same again when someone we love is gone. But God’s promises bring hope and comfort.
Thank You, God, that You are near. You’re always by my side. I’m grateful for Your comfort in my pain and for Your peace.
God’s Word is the true source of comfort.
INSIGHT
When God, who is Spirit (John 4:24), is portrayed in Scripture as having human features it’s called anthropomorphism (from anthropos, “man” and morphe, “form”). Literally speaking, God does not have eyes, ears, a face, or arms (Psalm 34:15–16; Isaiah 59:1–2). These descriptions, however, help us better grasp who God is because we can see parallels in our human experience. They help us understand that the Lord carefully attends to those who belong to Him.
When Jesus came to Earth, figures of speech gave way to reality. The eternal Word who was God (John 1:1) became flesh and dwelt among us (v. 14). Jesus looked on the multitudes with compassion (Matthew 9:36), He made Himself available to those whose bodies were diseased and broken (Mark 1:29–34); and His body was wounded so our sins would be forgiven (1 Peter 2:24). Through both figure of speech in the Old Testament and the real-time ministry of Jesus in the New Testament we understand that the God of heaven cares deeply. And we have hope!
Ponder the truth that in Jesus the world experienced “God with us” (see Matthew 1:23).
Arthur Jackson
Read: Psalm 34:15–18
My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. Psalm 119:50
Among the hundreds of articles I’ve written for Our Daily Bread since 1988, a few stick in my mind. One such article is from the mid-1990s when I told of a time our three girls were away at camp or on mission trips, so six-year-old Steve and I had some guy time.
As we were enjoying an excursion to the airport, Steve turned to me and said, “It’s not as much fun without Melissa,” his eight-year-old sister and sidekick. Neither of us knew then how poignant those words would turn out to be. Life indeed has not been “as much fun” for the years since Mell died in a car accident as a teenager. The passage of time may dull the ache, but nothing takes the pain away completely. Time cannot heal that wound. But here’s something that can help: listening to, meditating on, and savoring the solace promised by the God of all comfort.
Listen: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (Lamentations 3:22).
Meditate: “In the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling” (Psalm 27:5).
Savor: “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (119:50).
Life can never be the same again when someone we love is gone. But God’s promises bring hope and comfort.
Thank You, God, that You are near. You’re always by my side. I’m grateful for Your comfort in my pain and for Your peace.
God’s Word is the true source of comfort.
INSIGHT
When God, who is Spirit (John 4:24), is portrayed in Scripture as having human features it’s called anthropomorphism (from anthropos, “man” and morphe, “form”). Literally speaking, God does not have eyes, ears, a face, or arms (Psalm 34:15–16; Isaiah 59:1–2). These descriptions, however, help us better grasp who God is because we can see parallels in our human experience. They help us understand that the Lord carefully attends to those who belong to Him.
When Jesus came to Earth, figures of speech gave way to reality. The eternal Word who was God (John 1:1) became flesh and dwelt among us (v. 14). Jesus looked on the multitudes with compassion (Matthew 9:36), He made Himself available to those whose bodies were diseased and broken (Mark 1:29–34); and His body was wounded so our sins would be forgiven (1 Peter 2:24). Through both figure of speech in the Old Testament and the real-time ministry of Jesus in the New Testament we understand that the God of heaven cares deeply. And we have hope!
Ponder the truth that in Jesus the world experienced “God with us” (see Matthew 1:23).
Arthur Jackson