COMORT

“This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me”– Psalm 119:50

When we feel the despair of sorrow, pain, or loss creeping into our soul and stealing our joy, the last thing that we sometimes feel like doing is sitting down and perusing the Bible. The frustration and grief feel too real, and reading seems too insufficient as a remedy.

But this is the wonder of God’s Word — when we are in the midst of affliction, it is only this Book, with its wonderful promises, startling standards, and exalted view of God, that can give us hope and help and healing. This is because God does not avoid the reality of our suffering, but rather infuses it with purpose and meaning. When we see that God is actively at work in His creation, and is molding His people into the image of His Son, then suddenly suffering takes on a silver lining.

May David’s comfort be your comfort, dear reader, in the midst of your affliction. May God’s Word quicken your crushed and despairing heart. May you see, in the pages of His epistle to you, that His love is just as true and full, His rule is just as good and powerful, and His wisdom is just as perfect and right in our times of affliction as it is in our times of prosperity. (Baptist Bible Hour)

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

GOD’S OVERSIGHT

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.”–Psalm 37:23, 24

   God has such interest and oversight in our lives, in greater detail than most might imagine.  We may measure our lives in years or weeks, or even days. But, the Bible says that God is involved in our “steps.” How many steps do you think you might take in a year?  This shows us how concerned God is for the minutest of matters in our walk. He orders the “steps of a good man.”  We should never be doubtful of God’s care.  He is intimately aware of the smallest details of our days and is always influencing our paths.  Because He is ordering our steps, we can certainly depend on Him to lead us as we lean on Him.  This wonderful truth gives us great confidence, as we trust our Lord to guide our decisions and help us to find and follow His will.    

   Because the “good man” is seeking God’s guidance and desiring His will, God “delighteth in his way.”  God enjoys the journey of those who are interested in pleasing Him and trusting Him wholly.  This is in direct contrast to God’s view of the ungodly.  “The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD” (Proverbs 15:9).  God detests the path of those who reject Him; but He delights in the way of those who love Him.  He cares about us.  We can imagine a parent who lovingly watches the first steps of his child or interestingly follows the actions of his children as they play or learn.  God’s eyes of delight are upon His children at all times.  He loves us beyond what we can imagine.  

   Even when we fall, we can know that God is there to help us.  “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.”  We will never find ourselves in a place that God cannot see us and is unable to assist us.  All of us will have our disappointing moments and times of failure, more than we would like to recall.  What will God do when we stumble?  He will never let us “be utterly cast down.”  He is there to help us recover.  He is the Shepherd who restores our soul  David says that He “upholdeth him with his hand.”  Our Savior is holding our hands and is keeping us secure in His grasp.  He will never forsake us nor give up on us.  By faith, we can believe that His strong hand is there to lift us again.- Thomas Smith

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME

“But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”Job 2:10

 

So often weak faith is moved from its steadfastness, by trials. People say, “God cannot love me—or he would not send this affliction upon me!” Job’s answer, however, shows nobler faith. We take good, earthly good, from God’s hands. We believe that God loves us—so long as he showers upon us favors, and gives us pleasant things, joys and prosperities. Very well. But when he changes the form of his providence, and gives us troubles instead of favors, should we conclude that he no longer loves us?

 

In the case of the change in his treatment of Job—we are permitted to look within the heart of God, to learn what his feelings were, and we see that he had never loved his servant more than when he was allowing him to suffer so sorely!

 

At the close of the first trial, Job said, “The Lord  gave—and the Lord hath taken away.” The same Lord who gave—took away! Yes, and the same love! God knows best, what we need any particular day, and what will most advance the kingdom of Christ; and we ought to trust him so implicitly, so unquestioningly, that whether he gives a new favor—or takes one away; whether he grants us our request—or withholds it; whether he bestows upon us earthly good—or causes us to suffer loss and adversity—we shall still believe and say, “God loves me, and he is blessing me!”– J. R. Miller

 

“And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

THE REFINERS FIRE
“And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.”-Mal. 3:3
 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 1 Pet 1:7
     

Nothing is harder to bear than the apparent aimlessness of suffering.

They say that what breaks a convict’s heart in jail is to set him to say carry stones from one side of the prison to the other, and then back again! But we must never look upon the trials of life as punishments, because all penalty was borne by our Lord Himself. They are intended to destroy the weeds and rubbish of our natures, as the bonfires do in the gardens. Christ regards us in the light of our eternal interests, of which He alone can judge. If you and I knew what sphere we were to fulfil in the other world, we should understand the significance of His dealings with us, as now we cannot do. The Refiner has a purpose in view, of which those who stand beside Him are ignorant, and, therefore, they are unable to judge the process which He is employing.

Dare to believe that Christ is working to a plan in your life. He loves you, so be patient! He would not take so much trouble unless He knew that it was worth while. “We do not prune brambles, or cast common stones into the crucible or plough sea-sands!” You must be capable of some special service, which can only be done by a carefully-prepared instrument, and so Christ sits beside you as the Refiner, year after year, that you may miss nothing.

Whilst the Fire is hot keep conversing with the Refiner. Ponder these words: “He shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of silver.” The thought is specially suitable for those who cannot make long prayers, but they can talk to Christ as He sits beside them. Nicholas Hermann tells us that, as he could not concentrate his mind on prolonged prayer, he gave up set times of prayer and sought constant conversations with Christ. Speak to Him, then, in the midst of your daily toil. He hears the unspoken prayer, and catches your whispers. Talk to Christ about your trials, sorrows, and anxieties! Make Him your Confidant in your joy and happiness! Nothing makes Him so real as to talk to Him aloud about everything!–F. B. Meyer

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

Be Not Afraid

“But He saith unto them, ‘It is I; be not afraid.’” – John 6:20

Did you know, some 365 times in the Bible, one time for every day in the year, God has told us not to be afraid? Three hundred and sixty-five times, in one way or another, He said. “Be not afraid” or “Fear not.” The devil is the sinister minister of fear, but our Lord tells us not to be afraid.

In John chapter 6, the disciples, some of whom are seasoned sailors, are filled with fear. They bend their backs to the oars. It’s too far from the shore to swim. The waves are too boisterous. They have an idea that they are going down. And on top of all of this, where is Jesus? Why hasn’t He come to them? Why has He forsaken them?

Then they see Him. He’s walking on the water. That doesn’t bring them joy. Now their fear has turned to raw terror. Who? What is that walking on the water? Is it a phantom? Is it a ghost? And then they recognize—it’s Jesus, the wave walker, walking on the water.

I’ve learned as a pastor that there is a heartache on every pew. We all have storms, if not now, later.

How do you find peace in the midst of your storm?  Peace is not the subtraction of problems from life; peace is the addition of power to meet those problems. That’s God’s peace. This week, commit to memory John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”– Adrian Rogers

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346