The world is a difficult place.  It seems in the last few years so many threats have surfaced -- wars, natural disasters, political hostility, gun violence, climate change, terrorism…the list seems to multiply with each passing year.  In addition to these external concerns, all of us have personal issues in our lives that can cause stress. As Bible students, we are beyond blessed to understand God’s plan and where we are in the timing of it, but even with this deeper understanding of why things are happening, coping with all these issues may sometimes feel overwhelming. 

 

We know that God has a wonderful plan that will eventually solve all of the problems that seem so intractable now.  We know He sent his son to pay the ransom price for Adam’s sin and thus provide an opportunity for everyone who has ever lived to be awakened, educated,  and perfected during the Millennial Age, understanding God’s righteous laws for all.  We know that the present order of things must be swept away before God will set up His kingdom. We know during the first thousand years of the Kingdom mankind will be given the time and opportunity to learn about God, develop their characters, live in righteousness and gain eternal life. We know the purpose of the past two thousand years, in part, has been to develop the Church, the body of Christ. These called-out ones will reign with Jesus during the Millennial Age with the goal of instructing the world about all they will need to know to choose to live within God’s laws. We know that the Bible is full of promises about God’s kingdom that assure us that it will be a time where no evil or sin is allowed.  Revelation 21:4: “…and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the former things have passed away.”

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However, even though we know all these things, sometimes dealing with life’s issues in the present can lead to difficulty in managing anxious feelings. The best way we as Christians can handle anxious thoughts is to turn to the help and comfort and guidance offered in the Bible. There is such hope in God’s word!  In addition to wonderful words of solace, the Bible has many examples of people who faced very difficult times but were brought through them with God’s help.  Studying these narratives can remind us that God is always with His children, fashioning their experiences so they are ultimately of benefit.  (Romans 8:28)

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Jesus spoke about God’s care for us in this marvelous passage in Matthew 6:25-34: 

“For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on…Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow, neither do they reap…and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not worth much more than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span?  And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.  But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will  He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?” 

 

These words remind us that we are always in God’s care — a very comforting thought. 

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These thoughts are echoed in Romans 8:28, a verse that we know as one of the most comforting in the Bible: 

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who     love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.”

 

Paul directly calls our Father the “God of all comfort” in 1 Corinthians 2:3-4: 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 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.”   

 

This is a double instruction — take comfort from God in our own difficulties and pass it on to others.

 

The Phillips translation of Romans 15:13 is particularly meaningful: 

“May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith, that by the power of the holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope.” Wow!  “Radiant with hope!”  

 

Not just a little hopeful, but glowing with it!

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Philippians 4:6 urges us to 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”   

 

The word “supplication” here has the thought of earnest, pleading prayer.  The Lord is telling us to rely completely on Him. 

 

Paul goes on to explain in Philippians 4:8 one of the Bible’s greatest formulas for maintaining this peace of mind:                         

 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these  things.”

 

The Old Testament is also full of messages of comfort.  David, who had a very eventful life not unmarred by trouble, called on the Lord frequently in times of despair and triumph.  In harmony with similar writings in the New Testament, Psalm 46:1-3 assures us that: 

 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.”   

 

This guarantee of God’s unfailing support is especially applicable to the times we are in now.

 

Psalm 59:16 is a song of thanksgiving and praise:                                 

  “But as for me, I shall sing of Thy strength; yes, I shall joyfully sing of Thy lovingkindness in the morning, for Thou hast been my stronghold, and a refuge in the day of my distress.”   

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Charles Russell says about this verse, “Oh, that we could get this thought rightly settled in our minds!...that our Lord is at the helm superintending all of earth’s affairs at the present time in a much more practical sense than ever in the past.”

 

In Psalm 34:4, 6-7, David says,                                            

  “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears… This poor man (David) cried and the Lord heard him; and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and            rescues them.”

 

When we tend to stray into anxious feelings about what is going on in our lives or in the world, a good scripture to remember is Proverbs 3:5-6:                                                                                   

 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

 

Elijah went into a time of fear and depression after he stood up for God against over 800 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18 and 19).  Jezebel threatened Elijah’s life in retaliation, and Elijah fled into the wilderness where he requested that God just end his life.  He had given up.  God sent practical help through an angel, who gently woke him and gave him food — sleep and food are always good ways to get perspective!  God then led him to Mt. Horeb, where He demonstrated His power and spoke personally to him.  Elijah poured out his fears to God, and God showed him that he wasn’t alone and that it was time to move on to his next mission.  God never left Elijah, even though Elijah was unable to see His leading for a time.

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This has been a very incomplete listing of just a very few of the comforting scriptures and examples that God has given us.  Some others include:

 Isaiah 40:31: “Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”

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 Psalm 34:7-8: “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.  O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the who takes refuge in Him!”

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 Psalm 18:1-2: “I love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my Rock, in whom I take refuge -- my Shield and the horn of my salvation, my Stronghold.”

 

One of the most beautiful, poetic passages in the Bible is in Psalms, where David, in praise and awe of God’s power, reach, and protection, says, 

 “If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.  If I say, Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night, even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.”

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May these passages and others help us always to remember that God is with us no matter what is happening in our lives.

 

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