….God, that comforteth those that are cast down…..2 Corinthians 7:6

Many things cast us down–but only our God can effectually comfort us. He is the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort. He delights to comfort His people–when comfort will do them good. He secures their welfare first–and makes comfort a secondary object. But He never sees His child in sorrow, without sympathy; nor long withholds the necessary cordial.

He comforts the downcast–especially those who are employing their talents in His service, and consecrating their energies to His praise.

Sometimes He brings home a sweet passage of His Word.

Sometimes He sends a Christian friend to speak with us.

Sometimes He cheers us through the preaching of the gospel.

Sometimes a sweet, soothing, comforting light beams upon the soul–and we feel relieved, refreshed, and encouraged; but scarcely know how or by what.

The Lord sends the comfort–whoever brings it. He is the Comforter of the downcast, and to Him alone let us look for comfort in the cloudy and dark day!  –By James Smith

And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels…..Malachi 3:17

Jewels are costly and are highly valued by their owners.

We, though worthless in ourselves–cost our adorable Savior an immense price! To procure our release, to purchase our freedom–He left His Father’s bosom, came into our world, labored, suffered, bled, and died! He gave Himself for us! We are bought at a very high price! We are His purchased possession, intended to deck His mediatorial crown, to reflect His praise, and to shine to His glory for evermore!

He highly values us. “Since you were precious in My sight!” He says. We are valued not according to our intrinsic excellence–but according to His estimation of us.

For our safety–He employs . . .
  His watchful eye,
  His powerful arm,
  His numerous angelic hosts!

For our security and preservation–He arranges, directs, and controls all things; so that all things work together for the best, to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose.

Soon we shall shine as the gemstones of His crown!

How strange , that He should value us so highly! That He should compare us to all that is beautiful, desirable, or costly in nature! But He really does so!

We are not only His subjects–His friends–His children–His brethren–His bride; but His ornaments–His jewels!

Men may despise us–our Savior will not!    –By James Smith

I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten,—– Joel 2:25

Do you have chapters in your life that you wish you could rewrite? Do you have regrets or sorrows or wounds from past sins?

The wonderful promise of God is that He does not only forgive the repentant sinner—He heals the repentant sinner. Although it is true that we may suffer life-long trials because of sinful choices in the past, the Lord is able to restore the years that you may feel have been eaten up by guilt, sinfulness, or immaturity.

God says, “I will restore to you the years…” How can this be? Will He reverse our life’s clock, will He turn back our calendar? No. But God is able to pack so much living, so much vitality, so much blessing into the years that you have remaining that you will be enabled to live a life-time of joys and victories and pleasures in the remaining years you have left.

Remember the thief on the cross? Here was a man who had squandered all his life on murder, thievery, and selfishness. And, yet, God arrested him in the waning moments of his life, brought him to repentance and faith in Christ, and then used the fleeting few minutes he had left to leave behind him an everlasting testimony of God’s grace to save, to pardon, to instruct, and even to resurrect.

No matter how the chapters of your life have been written thus far, know this: when you repent and turn to Jesus Christ for salvation, He is able to multiply to you the remaining years of your life and use you mightily for His kingdom. He is willing to receive the repentant, and He is able to restore the ruined.  –From “A Good Thing”

Sin . . . exceeding sinful.–Romans 7:13

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1).

The daily devotional “Streams in the Desert” has this comment on our text by an unknown writer:

The question often comes, “Why didn’t He help me sooner?” It is not His order. He must first adjust you to the trouble and cause you to learn your lesson from it. His promise is, “I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.” He must be with you in the trouble first all day and all night. Then He will take you out of it. This will not come till you have stopped being restless and fretful about it and become calm and quiet. Then He will say, “It is enough.”

God uses trouble to teach His children precious lessons. They are intended to educate us. When their good work is done, a glorious recompense will come to us through them. There is a sweet joy and a real value in them. He does not regard them as difficulties but as opportunities.

 

A. B. Simpson said he heard, a rather simple  man, say: “When God tests you, it is a good time for you to test Him by putting His promises to the proof, and claiming from Him just as much as your trials have rendered necessary.” Simpson then made this observation:

There are two ways of getting out of a trial. One is to simply try to get rid of the trial, and be thankful when it is over. The other is to recognize the trial as a challenge from God to claim a larger blessing than we have ever had, and to hail it with delight as an opportunity of obtaining a larger measure of Divine grace. Thus even the adversary becomes an auxiliary, and the things that seem to be against us turn out to be for the furtherance of our way. Surely, this is to be more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Not always OUT of our troublous times,
And the struggles fierce and grim,
But IN–deeper IN–to our one sure rest,
The place of our peace, in Him.
–Annie Johnson Flint