The Comfort Of God - Bible Witness

The Comfort of GodComforting Natureof God’s WordNelson WereWhen we think of comfort,we normally would think of“That which gives securityfrom want and furnishesmoderate enjoyment in life.”In a sense, this is how manyof us define comfort. Butwhen we have this in mind,how many would classify theWord of God as “That whichgives security from wantand furnishes moderateenjoyment in life”? In life weexperience pain and physicaldistress or uneasiness ofbody; we go through timeswhen we have distress ofmind, trouble and agitation;there were times when weface danger and calamity aswell as times of weaknessesand infirmity. At all thesetimes we need support,assistance, encouragement,help and comfort. Can weconfidently turn to theWord of God under all thesecircumstances? Can we relyon it to ease our pains, calmour spirits, guide our paths;strengthen, invigorate andencourage us and thusgive security and furnishmoderate enjoyment inlife? Of course everyone whobelieves in the sufficiency ofScripture will be compelledto answer “yes” to thequestions above.The Scripture is indeedsufficient and weacknowledge it. But whyis it that when faced withsituations similar to thosehighlighted above, fewwould turn to the Word?Could it be because we arenot aware of or not assuredof the comforting natureof the Word of God? ThePsalmist in Psalm 119 writeswhat can be termed as “thedirectory of God’s Word” asit goes through the Hebrewalphabet from Aleph to Tau(A to Z) pointing out theimportance of God’s Wordto the believer. In it, hedescribes God’s Word deeplyand variously, and illustrateswith his personal encounterswith the Word. He describesthe value of God’s Word orthe law of God in variousstages and circumstances inlife. Psalm 119:49-56 teachesthe comforting nature ofGod’s Word. Concerningthis section, Spurgeon wrote,“This octrain deals withthe comfort of the word.It begins by seeking themain consolation, namely,the Lord’s fulfilment of hisBible Witness 9