Comfort and Compassion

    Recently I’ve been reading the works of D.L. Moody . I find his enthusiasm for the Lord, his emphasis on the Holy Spirit, and our ongoing sanctification and service to be stimulating. I’m grateful to have his teachings and witness to fall back on.
        For example, today I received two letters from prison inmates. One letter begins,

“`Rev.’ before and initials after my name do not change the fact that I am `Inmate # ________’. I am not the prison’s chaplain, I am a prisoner. Nevertheless, an ordained pastoral counselor.”

        The second letter is perhaps equally compelling as another man writes,

“…what I found interesting is the fact that most of the men [other inmates] came from a church background. Something is wrong with that picture. Either the pastor/preacher/teacher aren’t preaching against sexual sin and keeping the bonds of marriage holy and pure, or the people aren’t listening. I have been there – done that. Things will only change when God’s people put Biblical standards back into every facet of their lives…”

   Having read these letters I reflected on how all of us know in part what it is to be a prisoner of sorts as we battle destructive habits and character flaws. I was particularly moved to hear from these two men. It seems by life experience they have authority to speak to us.
        After reading these letters I received an email that introduced me to the Yerang Mission. This mission shares the gospel in Communist countries, like North Korea and China . I encourage you to go to http://www.gajo.org/ and read their prayer requests and updates. These Christian missionaries face the prospect of martyrdom daily. From their web site you can quickly learn of their devotion to our Lord. In the plight of their extreme suffering, prioritization has taken care of itself. They live for God, as though He was the only one in the audience.
        Added to today’s mix of worldwide human suffering are the victims and family members who have recently been impacted by the DC sniper here in the States. There suffering continues, as does the search for the killer.
        I have no need or desire to be a prophet of doom and gloom. I have a compelling desire, however, to encourage you to seek intimacy with God and His kindness which leads to repentance. <Romans 2:1-4>
        As I continue to learn more of my self, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the world we live in, I find myself sobering up to the reality of my call as a Christ follower. Because these days are punctuated frequently by chaos and tragedy, I want to know God, and his compassion and comfort, more deeply than ever before.  
        With this backdrop in mind, I hope that I can effectively communicate some of my growing convictions.

1.  The love of our Father is the source of our comfort. He is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort”. <2 Corinthians 1:3-5> Oswald Chambers wrote “He owns the harvest that is produced by distress and conviction of sin, and this is the harvest we have to pray that labourers may be thrust out to reap.” In the usual Chambers’ style which quickly cuts to the chase, he adds “Our Lord calls (us) to no special work: He calls to Himself." My Utmost for His Highest, October 16 – “The Key to the Master’s Orders”.
    If we see ourselves as the focus of God’s love, and if we see that God is perfectly faithful to us, we can not only begin to attach ourselves to Him like no other, but we can cope with the complexities and uncertainties of this life with increasing Christ-likeness.

2. Coming to grips with the trauma of sin in all its various forms is mandatory. Today we talk of our stress, depression, addiction, and other ills – and they’re real enough, but these are merely the tip of the iceberg [click here for a therapeutic model]. At the heart of our issues is our fractured relationship with our Creator. We were born in sin, having no natural capacity to relate to God or his goodness. Other fallen people have sinned and continue to sin against us, and the injuries are significant. And finally, we react sinfully, making the damage to ourselves and others only worse.
   The reality of sin is with us from cradle to grave. However, in our discomfort we can cry out to God, albeit imperfectly, and find Him. My personal understanding of how God works looks something like this:

          (a) Some facet of sin (my fallen nature, someone else’s sin
                    against me, my sin, or  the callousness of this sinful world)  
                    acts like a sniper and wounds me.

          (b)  In my pain and emotional bleeding, I cry out to God.

          (c)  In His comfort and compassion, God hears me and begins
                     to nurture me.

          (d)  As His comfort overtakes my pain or simply helps me to 
                    bear it, I become grateful to God for the very event that 
                    introduced me to a deeper level of contentment with Him.

  3.  Reconciliation with God comes only through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I believe we were created to be in harmony with God, but sin disrupted that harmony. I also believe the power of sin in any situation is secondary to the power of God’s compassion and mercy. His grace alone is sufficient.
   Finding the compassion and comfort of our Father, however, is conditional. Yes, that’s right. Conditional. All that we hope to experience with our Father is centered in this life on loving Jesus Christ.
    I fear we have many helps today that are not Christ-centric. These helps hold out various promises and practical helps, but without pointing to the Lord as the sole foundation of our faith, we can’t have the ultimate victory. The Christian community has more resources than ever before. We have congregations great and small; various media outlets like radio, television, and the Internet; books on a variety of topics; and trained professionals like myself. Still, we see little power or comfort among us.
   The tools and resources we have can help us to know what we believe about Jesus, but only the Holy Spirit can help us to simply believe Jesus and embrace the love that He offers freely.

    If I could talk with you personally today, I’d invite you to reflect on how you are practicing the presence of Jesus Christ. We need to encourage each other in the faith. Knowing God through Jesus Christ remains the narrow, but available road to greater peace and rest. Invite Jesus to be your friend.

   Blessings,

Rob Jackson, MS, LPC, NCC
ChristianCounsel International