Comfort for Sorrow

SEARCHING

FOR THE TRUTH

~ Finding Comfort for Sorrow ~ Part II ~ How ~
It is a help to know why suffering is allowed,
but is there a way to be victorious in it?
As we have written before, we do not have all the answers,
but are simply sharing what we
have found to be a help, only and always from the BIBLE
– the Word of God.

“There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest ~ near to the heart of God.
Oh Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
Draw us, who wait before you, near to the heart of God.”
(Author unknown.)

REPEATING SOME WAYS OF FINDING COMPORT FOR SORROW.
[See ‘Comfort for sorrow’ ~ Part I ~ ‘WHY’.]

1. There is MEANING ~ answers to ‘Why’.

2. There are real REASONS ~ but only in the Bible, the Word of God.

3. There can be PURPOSE ~ if we accept the reasons God gives us.

4. There is HOPE and even REWARDS ~ because GOD is LOVE!

GOD NOT ONLY ALLOWS SUFFERING ~ HE KNOWS ALL ABOUT IT.
God actually allows suffering.

a. It is part of being human.
We have already explained this. It is because He kept true to His decision to give us and allow us to use our ‘free will’. Sin has been the freely chosen way of every human being, which as a whole human race has been infected with this terrible disease and the consequences. So many innocent people suffer along with every other human person, sometimes, in some ways.

b. It is part of being in God’s Royal Family. [Some of these thoughts are in ‘Part I’]
Yet it often seems that those who are closest to God, and have tried to serve Him well, suffer the most. There are many reasons for this. Maybe by denying themselves of needed rest, or food or other essentials, even living in a climate they were not suited for, like many a servant of God who has gone to a different country to take the message of God’s Word. ‘Unseen’ people like Mothers, Family members, and those who care for other people, (such as children or handicapped, sick, deprived or elderly). Pastors, Leaders -as ‘ministers of truth’, are among these who suffer often.
Many servants of God from the early Apostles and Believers in New Testament times right up to the present time, know about suffering and sorrow.

(In Part I we quoted from a letter in which an Arab Christian Leader in the Middle East, included verses from 2 Corinthians 6: 3- 10 written by the Jewish missionary, Paul!) It seems there are more servants of God in the world today who have suffered in extreme ways, even persecution, as Paul wrote about in his defence of unjust criticism by the Corinthian Christians, in his 2nd letter, chapter 11: 13 –29 but fewer people in Western countries. However just being known as a ‘Christian’/ Believer can bring its own difficulties. If the sorrows you feel are real to you, no matter what others say, just believe that God “understands your thoughts afar off.” (Psalm 139; 2, KJV.) “No throb nor throe that our hearts can know, but HE feels them above.”
So God shares all your sorrows with you and is with you in them all.
Remembering these facts can help us to be victorious even through them!

SOME STEPS TO COPING WITH OUR SORROWS.

In Romans 12:2 Paul speaks clearly about the importance of being “transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- [even suffering or sorrow] –His good, pleasing and perfect will.” When you think about it, -all the letters of the New Testament were written to explain how to cope with problems, from wrong teaching to painful persecution and to encourage those distressed because their times were very hard and changing. Just like today!
Simply stopping what we are doing and reading wonderful parts of Scripture is the very best help for sorrow – like the 1st 6 chapters of 2 Corinthians!
So sitting down to think about what is happening and why, and how to meet the needs and challenges by “the renewing of our minds”, can be very helpful!

Here is our suggestion: practice your “A, B, C, D.”
(Apologies if English is not your main language.)

A> Acknowledge the facts.
There are two parts to this; we could call them ‘an honest assessment’.

FIRST –Acknowledge Who GOD IS!
This can be the most beautiful part of all life, including our times of difficulty.
We can look away from ourselves and like the Psalmist, “Be still, and know that I AM GOD.” (Psalm 46: 10.) One great way to do this is to study God’s Names by which He has made Himself known. If you know Hebrew this will be even more precious!
Beside His great, special Name, ‘YHVH’ -which we do not know how to pronounce, but use the word ADONAI or LORD, for, are the names which are associated with it. They are – Jireh –Provider, Shalom -Peace, Rophe –Healer, Rehi –Shepherd, Nissi – Banner, Nakah –Guide, Tsidkenu –Righteousness, Gemulah –Reward, and bringing them all together in the wonderful Name, Shammah –‘The LORD is There.’

When we remind ourselves of these, or the names Yeshua/ Jesus/ Isa Maseeh gave for Himself, we can be so re-assured; our sorrows will seem so much smaller.
You will remember He said “I AM – the Bread of Life, The Way, the Truth and the Life, the Gate, the Good Shepherd, the Light of the world, and the Resurrection!”
In the face of sorrow, pain, poverty, hunger, darkness, cruelty, even death, we have a great GOD and a loving SAVIOUR -WHO CARES! [Reading the Bible is such an important way to know what God has done for people and His feelings for us!]

SECOND –Acknowledge your real problems- honestly!
So often people will tell you, wrongly- “Oh don’t worry, everything will be alright.”
Or, “But you haven’t anything to feel sad or bad about…” (When you know you have.)
“Never mind, it is all part of life, it will soon go away -time heals.” (Only partly true.)

So you need to be honest with yourself! (You must never lie to yourself at all!) This is most important, to really look at your sorrow or problem. If you are sick, or very poor, or someone you love has left you, or you are being badly treated, you need to honestly face the truth. The only danger is to spend too much time in it and even making it worse by ‘lying down in your sorrow’ and not taking the next step.
Acknowledge and Accept that you are in need! Someone wrote “In acceptance lies peace. It is a big step for finding the comfort you long for.

B> Believe God has Blessings for you!
God’s promises in His Word are like a large BANK! For most people, when you decide you need more money, you can go to your Bank. Some of us have very little money in our Bank, (including the writer of these notes) but we are very grateful we do have somewhere to go. How much more wonderful it is that we can go to the ‘Bank of the WORD of God’! It seems there are about 3000 promises of God, -(Who would never tell a lie), which we can count on. Do you know that before He died, Yeshua/ Jesus said about Himself, “He had to be put to death; but that after three days, He had to rise again. He spoke very plainly about it.” J.N.T. emphasises this in the translation of Mark 8:31, 32. Even His enemies remembered, as Matthew 27: 63 says, “Sir, we remember that that ‘Deceiver’ said while He was still alive, ‘after three days I will be raised.’ “ And He told them that they would see Him again. (John 16: 16.)

Do you know anyone who could make this kind of promise? I don’t! So this is a wonderful reminder of how Yeshua keeps His promises – though like His disciples we ‘forget’, so the Angel reminded them, “He is not here, because He has been raised- just as He said! Try to remember this -that if God as our Risen Saviour could keep such a wonderful promise – we know He will keep them all! But although the ‘Bank of God’s Promises’ is full and adequate to meet our every need, we have to do our part – like ‘cashing a cheque’! For every sorrow there is a promise for us to count on.

C> Confess, or Commit or Count on God for His help!
You will realise that just as we have different sorrows and needs, so we need different ways to ‘cash the cheque’. We ask for the help we need specifically.

If our sorrow is because of our sins the ‘cheque we need to cash’ is confessing our sins. Do you wish you could talk it over with God? He says you can! (In Isaiah 1:18.) “ ‘Come now and let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’.” There are many other lovely promises that you can claim. God’s forgiveness through His Son taking the punishment for all our sins is complete/ total!
If our sorrow is poverty or sickness, or any other kind of pain, we can count on God to help us, especially as we commit ourselves to accept what He gives. This includes wanting His Honour and glory, more than our own enjoyment. There is no room for selfishness. This could be a reason we do not always get exactly what we want. God is more interested in what we need and what will be a blessing through us to others. The subject of “PRAYER” is a big one, but we have just given some reasons to expect the answers to our cry for help! It is important to count on a specific promise, even learn it off by memory- and writing it out so you can see it often! If you look up the word ‘suffer’ in the Bible you will find wonderful things!

If God allows a sorrow in our lives, we can turn it into an investment in His Kingdom by following these ‘rules’ of acceptance and commitment to Him alone. This is also called consecration which leads us to the last step.

D> Dedicate yourself – and the experience – the answers to your prayers, -to God!
Anyone who has ever had any kind of trouble or sorrow or suffering and has found the answers in God’s love and in His Word becomes a special person because of the experience… There is an amazing verse that says that it is part of our work for God, -to suffer! But in Romans 5: 3 it even says, “we can rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance… character… and hope.” It is not wasted in this life and wins a reward in the next Life, with our Father God!

Best of all it brings us closer to our Loving LORD. Romans 8: 17 reminds us that “if we share in His suffering we may also share in His GLORY!” Yeshua/ Jesus spoke a lot about ‘glory’ in his special last prayer for us in John 17. Part of this glory is to be able to “comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God…” part of wonderful verses in 2 Corinthians chapter 1.

So you could imagine that these A –B –C –D steps are a good ‘Healing Recipe’.
After some time it can be better than packets of pills and as easy to take. Try it!
Acknowledge – Believe – Confess or Commit - & Dedicate…

However it can be helpful to understand more.

THERE ARE MANY KINDS OF ‘SORROW’ & ‘SUFFERING’.

USING SOME MEDICAL TERMS TO HELP US.

Diagnosis. In most medical situations the first need is to decide what is the ‘problem’, and so all kinds of equipment and skills can be called on to make sure of the actual condition. Not knowing, can often make the problem seem worse! That is a kind of suffering in itself. This can be a first step in finding the help for our sorrow.

Cause. This is part of the diagnosis and is often a big step towards finding the treatment that will lead to a cure. Again, in the area of sorrow we can seek to know what is the cause, and find God’s treatment. [Maybe see Part I of this study.]

Treatment. “Yes there is comfort for sorrow” is the line of the song we quoted, before. We also suggested that understanding why God has allowed all kinds of terrible sorrow and suffering in the world is a form of comfort in itself.
But there are ‘treatments’ even blessing in our sorrow that can only be found in God and His Word. There has to be a relationship between the ‘doctor’ and the ‘patient’; that is between God and me. We have that relationship through the + sign of God’s great suffering on the cross –the means of Yeshua/ Jesus suffering to death for us.
In the spiritual realm, we need to go to God as needy sinners, and ask for His help, whether our sorrow is physical, mental or spiritual. We have three parts to each one of us, and every part needs God’s health and healing. This does not mean if we are suffering in our bodies it is because of our minds or spirit, (but there can be a link.)

Applying the treatments. There are many people, who in their hearts often know why they are sorrowful and perhaps -because of God’s gift of a conscience - know they could find help in God, but do not do so for many reasons. This is why some of us feel such an agony, that so few people even want to know God or the help they can find in His Word. F.W.Faber, a very godly man wrote this in a song, “Souls of men why will you scatter like a crowd of frightened sheep? Foolish hearts! Why will you wander from a love so true and deep.”

Even God expresses this in the Bible, especially about His chosen Jewish people. Through the prophet Isaiah (48: 17) God said, “This is what the LORD your God says – your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I AM the LORD your God, Who teaches you what is best for you, Who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to My commands, your peace would have been like a river…” There are other Scriptures which say the same thing.

EXAMINING SOME HEALING FOR THE GREATEST SORROW; TEMPTATIONS.

Satan really wants to ‘hurt’ our LORD -so he tries to wound Him by making us sin.
Because Satan knows our hearts and our weaknesses he knows how to tempt us.
This can cause us enormous pain and sorrow, just facing the temptations and even more if and when we choose to go into them. If we were really honest, we do not ‘fall’ into temptation, but James, Yeshua/ Jesus’ brother wrote in his letter, (1: 13 & 14), “No one, being tempted should say, ‘ I am being tempting by God’. For God cannot be tempted by evil and God Himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is being tempted whenever he is being dragged off and enticed by the bait of his own desire.” [J.N.T.]

Bringing our ‘temptations/ desire to sin’, to our basic understanding.
Many years ago I was greatly helped to realise that all temptations could be narrowed down, to a few basic desires within all of us, which helps our understanding of their source and their cure -so much!
a. They are all related to the entrance of SIN into the world. (Look at Genesis 3.)
b. Our Lord Yeshua/ Jesus faced each one Himself victoriously! (Matthew 4: 1-11.)

There are three universal basic desires, and we can see the way to respond to them.
These are seen so clearly in the temptations Yeshua/ Jesus/Isa Himself, faced! Matthew chapter 4: “Then Yeshua/ Jesus was led by the Spirit,” [notice that!]
“To be tempted by the devil.” Even Jesus,“suffered, being tempted”.

1. PLEASE YOURSELF. “After fasting 40 days and 40 nights He was hungry. The Tempter came to Him and said, ‘’IF You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ The temptation was for Yeshua/ Jesus to deny Himself and His calling. For us -it is not ‘if’ you are in God’s Royal Family, it is ‘now that you are, will you be noble enough to act unselfishly as a child of God should?’ Do I deny myself?

“Please yourself” is often, related to food. Maybe it is not food, (or maybe it is being greedy or eating wrong foods). Maybe it is some other perfectly natural desire, but for us it comes to looking at the motive behind it. “Jesus answered, ‘it is written man does not live by bread alone, but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God.’ “ You do not need us to press the point – we simply need to ask, “will this please God and be obedient to His given Word, which is so clear.”

The problem is often, not, ‘what is God’s will?’ It is often, ‘can I find God’s strength to do His will and glorify Him?’ There is a great need for us to be balanced in our desires: food, sleep, rest, sex, sport, good work, exercise, enjoying a ‘hobby’, (reading, watching good pictures, good music, making things with our hands, spending time with family and friends).

All of these are good at the right times, in the right amounts, for the right reasons. We should not get a guilt complex if we do not need to. But if we are honest -it seems so much easier to ‘just give in’ and ‘please ourselves’ often, -whether it is sinful or hurts ourselves or someone else. This includes taking drugs, alcohol, wrong sex, or gambling, or losing our tempers. The answer is always in using God’s Word as a shield!

2. SHOW OFF YOURSELF! “Then the devil took [Yeshua] to the holy City and had Him stand on the highest point of the Temple.” This could be a corner of the Temple Mount area which is part of the Southern wall, below which were wide steps up to the Temple courts through the ‘Huldah’ gates, which can still be seen outlined, although walled up. Huge crowds were often there – (which was also true at the time of Peter’s sermon on the Day of ‘Pentecost/Shavuot’.)

So there would be a great audience to see what Satan wanted Yeshua/ Isa to do – to ‘show off’ how great He was, by jumping off this high place –(90 Feet above the ground below). Satan even quoted part of a Scripture! “ ‘IF You are the Son of God’, he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written, “He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift you up in their hands so that You will not strike Your foot against as stone.’ “ (Notice Satan did not quote the next piece that says, “You, [meaning Yeshua/ Jesus/ Isa], will tread upon the Lion and the cobra, You will trample the great lion and the Serpent!” That was to be the fulfillment of Genesis 3: 15 against Satan but he tried to be clever and leave that part out!)

[There are many false prophets these days, who proudly twist God’s Word, still.]
You will know that Satan’s great sin was pride, and he loves -more than any other sin for us to give into this one! (But notice it is not always being humble, not to speak up for the truth when we should– something young people and women can struggle with.) Pride can keep mouths shut – or open! We need to look at our motives and attitudes.

Yeshua/ Jesus answered again, using the Word of God, “It is also written, ’do not put the LORD your God to the test.” How humble our Lord, Who is God, was! For us too,
true humility takes God at His Word and trusts Him to demonstrate His love and power through weak people like us! This is why He even allows great physical injuries, or illnesses, sometimes and many saints have glorified God through great suffering and sorrow. Many brave Christians are suffering persecution yet staying true to God.

3. SAVE YOURSELF! “Again the devil took Yeshua/ Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world –and their splendour. ‘All this I will give you… IF You bow down and worship me.” Always, always throughout the centuries of time Satan has tried to get Believers to just nod, - just say a few words- like “Ceasar is Lord”. Satan uses our fear of other people or the imagined ‘cost’ of submitting to God’s will, so we try to save ourselves from embarrassment, or trouble. More often, by simply ignoring God’s great offer of loving forgiveness people have ‘turned their backs’ – [some would say ‘thumbed their noses’] on God and His Word. By this they vote for Satan’s rule in the world, which is why we have so much sorrow! Satan was saying to Yeshua/ Jesus, “don’t go to the execution stake to win the world- I can give it all to you – if you give me the worship I long for.”

When the Anti-christ or False-messiah comes, he will insist on being worshipped by people –or face a death penalty! We have outlined these ‘temptations’ to warn you.
The temptation to save ourselves from effort, from embarrassment, from losing friends, from being disciplined, are all temptations we face every day. Yet although Yeshua/ Jesus said “take up your cross, every day and follow Me,” He was not trying to put a heavy burden on us, because as He also said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” He knew better than anyone did (because He made us), that by following Him, even sacrificially – we would often ‘save ourselves’ in a better way. We would live a wholesome life, and one day receive a great reward of Love for walking “the Calvary road” of self-denial, instead of giving in to the temptation to ‘save ourselves’. This also explains Yeshua/ Jesus’ words, “If anyone wants to save his life, he must lose it…”

FOCUSING ON SOME OTHER KINDS OF SORROW.

There are some Counsellors who have made a list of various kinds of sorrows or ‘stress factors’, going from ‘the worst’ to the less serious ones. But we would remind you that if the sorrow is real to you it is real, -you need to acknowledge that, no matter what other people might say. All sin and sorrow and suffering is real in God’s eyes, and He sees and is there to help and heal! But because we are human we do think of some sorrows as especially hard, or worse than some other kinds of trouble.

DEATH. It is true death is a ‘part of life’, but that is not a help when we are facing death ourselves or in others, especially if they are close to us. These days there are very many people who have what seem comforting thoughts about death, (which we can’t give here) but they are based on lies. There is no Biblical truth to the idea of re-incarnation. Neither is there any truth in annihilation. Also we can not agree with those who say that life after death is dependent on only living a good life here. The only true answers about death are in the Bible. We can only touch briefly on them.

1. Every person is made up of a physical body, a soul and a spirit. (See 1 Thes. 5:23.)

2. The human body is the part that dies and returns to the dust. (See Eccl. 3: 20.)

3. The soul is the real person, (who has an ability to think, to love and to choose), and it goes on existing, according to the choices that person/soul made in their life.

4. The spirit is the spiritual part, which is either in agreement with God’s Truth, (Yeshua/ Jesus), or not. Anyone not in ‘agreement’ with God’s Truth is in ‘agreement’ with Satan, even by ignorance. We are either in God’s Family by trust in His Son, the Saviour, or we are not. If we do not have God’s Spirit in our spirit we are ‘lost’ and will die spiritually because of our sins. (See Romans 8:13.)

5. Unborn babies, and children (or mentally handicapped), who do not know the difference between right and wrong, we believe, will be cared for by God’s Love.

6. Those who have chosen to ignore the TRUTH will go to a place called ‘Hades’ in the Bible; a place of departed spirits. It is not Purgatory, nor is it Hell. At the end of the Millennial reign of Yeshua/Jesus they will be resurrected, (united with their bodies) and judged as it says in Revelation 20: 12. “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the Throne and the Books were opened… The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the Books… Each person was judged according to what he had done… If anyone’s name was not found in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.”
We have omitted a few words –so it is good if you can read these for yourself. Now, maybe you will know why we want to warn people and plead with them to choose to believe in Yeshua/ Jesus to have all their wrong-doings – sins forgiven and make sure they are written in “the Book of Life’. Is your name written there? It can be as soon as you trust in Isa/ Yeshua/ Jesus death for your sins and repent of them, making Yeshua/ Jesus/ Isa Maseeh your Saviour and LORD of your life. Please do this now.

7. But all those who have chosen to trust in God’s way of salvation will be sure of going to be with Jesus – not in the full glory of Heaven, yet, but what Jesus called ‘Paradise’, when he talked to the thief who was dying beside Him.

8. So this means that we Believers do not need to“grieve like the rest of men who have no hope!” For ourselves or for our loved ones who are Believers we can find real comfort for sorrow in a time of death. This doesn’t mean that we are not very sad at being left alone, or losing a child or someone who meant a lot to us. The shortest verse in the Bible is, “Yeshua/ Jesus /Isa wept!” It is not wrong to cry.

9. But ONE DAY – as we write about in our other articles we will be with Our Lord in Glory, joy, peace, freedom from all pain and sorrow forever!

SEPARATION. Some people would feel this was even a harder sorrow than losing someone who loved you, by death. When a person who has been close to you, rejects you and leaves you, wife, husband, child or friend it is very sad, and brings great sorrow. Only the knowledge that even God knows how it feels when people choose to reject His love, that can bring you some comfort. Again, you can dedicate this experience to be a comforter to others. Be careful that you are not the one, who for the wrong reasons separates yourself from someone, because you cannot forgive.
God hates divorce – but He understands it. See Hosea chapters 1 –6, and I Corinthians chapter 7. www.christiananswers.net has good help on these subjects.

SUICIDE. This is a sadness many Christians know about, yet for a Believer in God and His Word it is the final act of unbelief, saying (in our own way) “God can’t help me, and I am not going to let Him!” Unbelief is the only sin God cannot forgive if it is not repented of. It is THE ‘unpardonable sin’. ”Anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” The only unforgivable ‘blasphemy’ is unbelief, so even though your troubles are terrible, somewhere, God will give you the grace to call on Him for help. Psalms (like 18, and 139) – almost all of them can help you to believe!
For some very good help, please see, www.godtest.com or www.gospelnet.com

SICKNESS OR PHYSICAL PROBLEMS. This is a big subject for many books and sermons, but we believe it is simply an opportunity to realise the reality of God’s help in the ways we have outlined. Nothing can touch you that God does not allow. (Read Job 1.) God does not send trouble and sorrow on individuals; He allows it for ‘good’.

Acceptance of God’s will, (and the medical help that may be available to you) is very important. God has given people scientific and caring skills to help us -accept them!
Belief in His loving promises and purposes;
Claiming His grace to honour God even through suffering; and
Dedicating the experience – even to dying victoriously, is your privilege. I knew of a famous Christian sportsman who suddenly was given 2 weeks to live because of cancer. Instead of pleading to be healed, he was able to tell everyone on T.V. about his faith in His Saviour, and that he knew he would go to be with Him. This honoured God, more than another who told everyone including his doctors that God would heal him. This was not God’s will, so (sadly), he missed his opportunity to honour God…

THERE ARE MANY OTHER KINDS OF SUFFERING, BUT THE BIBLE HELPS ALL.
Lonesomeness, persecution for your Faith, no opportunities for education or employment, misunderstanding or even cruelty by others, poverty and loss, and more…

Perhaps we have written enough for you to be able to find your way into God’s ‘Waiting room for sufferers”. If we can help more you can contact us, but perhaps our ‘F.A.Question’ section can give you some helpful advice. It is because we know some forms of suffering ourselves, and expect that many more people will face suffering in persecution and End Time disasters, that we felt we would like to offer these 2 studies. But really, it is for you, in your relationship with God and His Word that alone, can be a blessing. Be sure our prayers are for all readers of this site.

We close with the last 2 verses of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2,
“May our Lord Yeshua/ Jesus Messiah/ Isa Maseeh HIMSELF ~
And God our Father, Who loved us ~
And by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good HOPE ~
Encourage YOUR hearts and strengthen/comfort you ~
In every good deed and word!”
In His Name we say, ‘AMEN’.

Site menu:

Please feel free to send us any comments about this article: