As humans, comfort - security - is one of our greatest needs. It's as strong
the need for food or warmth. I think we've all experienced times when we
were so anxious about something that we couldn't think of food. Children
are very open about their fears. They are often more easily comforted. As
children, a snuggle with mommy and daddy, or a cup of warm milk, was
often enough to calm our fears. A good teddy bear and a warm blanket
would make the night seem more friendly. But as we get older, the fears
grow greater, the night seems darker and somehow, our teddy bears seem
smaller. It's not enough to have a fuzzy little body to hold. Sometimes we
try to fill that gap by looking for a larger body to hold - we look to
marriage as our defence against our fears. But no one man, no one person
can provide complete security. There are too many worries, too much
heartbreak out there for the best of husbands, the best of teddy bears.

God knows how desperately we need to be comforted. The Bible is full of
references to sorrow, fears, loneliness and the comfort God provides. When
Christ told the disciples of His impending death, He knew that they would
need comforting more at this time of their lives than at any other. And He
knew they would need strength to persevere through the difficulties ahead.
And so He gave the assurance of the Comforter, The Holy Spirit. The
wonderful thing is, those same promises apply to us. We also have acccess
to that comforter. He is ever present, and understands our every need.
John 14:27 says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid." So we know that we can rely on God to listen
to our fears and give us comfort.

His Word is also a great source of comfort. How many of us have turned
to the Psalms to reassure us in times of trouble. The 23rd Psalm is probably
the most frequently quoted piece of literature at funerals, because this image
of God as our Shepherd is so comforting, even to those who don't have a
personal relationship with Him. In Psalm 119:28 David says, "My soul is
weary with sorrow, strengthen me according to your word". God has left
His written word for us as a tool for instruction and comfort. When we
immerse ourselves in the Scriptures daily, those passages will come back to
us in times of trouble. When my daughter, Lydia, had heart surgery at the
age of six, God brought so many verses to mind through it all. The phrase
that kept running through my mind was, "the peace that passes all
understanding". He truly did give us that overwhelming sense of peace, of
His presence with us. Later, in January of 2005, we were given that same
amazing peace when we lost our dear baby to miscarriage at just 7 weeks of life.

I remember hearing the story of the mom that went up to her daughter's room
for the umpteenth time at bedtime - something I can't relate to at all. :o) The
daughter was complaining of being lonely, and the mom said, "Well,
Sweetie, you know the Lord is always with you" and the daughter said, "I
know, Mommy, but sometimes I just need someone with skin on". We all
have times when we need "someone with skin on". That's why God gave us
the church. Our fellow Christians can be and should be a tremendous
source of strength and comfort.

Second Corinthians 1:3-7 says,
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort
those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are
comforted by God.
5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we
share abundantly in comfort too.
6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are
comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently
endure the same sufferings that we suffer.
7 Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our
sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

So you see, in an age when support groups are so popular, we have one of
the most ancient support groups available. We have each other to draw on,
both for the wisdom of experience, and for the comfort of sympathy. We
need each other. And we need to be available to be used by God for the
comfort of our fellow believers, and we ought to be open to His comforting
through other Christians.

I was thinking about the fellow who was caught in a fast-rising flood. His
neighbours tried to get him to leave with them in their jeep, but he said,"No,
the Lord will save me". The flood waters were rising, and the police came by
in a boat, but he refused to go, saying, "That's okay, the Lord will save me".
Eventually, he was forced to climb onto his roof, but even then, when the
rescue helicopter came, he waved it away, shouting, "It's okay! The Lord
will save me!" Well, the flood kept rising and the man drowned. He got to
heaven and he said, "What happened Lord? I trusted you to save me?"
And the Lord replied, "I sent a 4X4, a boat and a helicopter, what more
did you expect?" Sometimes, we miss God's quiet answers to prayer when it
comes in the form of a familiar face. Yes, we need to be a source of comfort
to others, but we also need to recognize the resources
He has given all around us.

Finally, the greatest comfort God has given us is the ability to know for
certain that we can be with Him forever when we die. God sent His son,
Jesus to die in our place. He took the weight of our punishment so that we
could be righteous in God's eyes. He died in our place and then rose again,
that we might have life, and "life eternal". All we have to do is trust Him;
trust Him with our lives, with our needs. We know that He will forgive us.

When I was a little girl, my now battered, worn out, teddy bear with the
stuffing hanging out was the most comforting thought I knew. But I'm sorry,
Mr. Jingles, you're just not enough. As a woman, as a sinner, I can think of
nothing that gives me more security than the thought of my Saviour, Jesus,
dying for me...his body battered and worn with the punishment He took for me.

God bless you,
Cynthia