Dear Church Family,
It is less than eight months until we celebrate our Savior’s birth, so why not think about what Christmas and covid-19 have to do with one another. The virus has brought us great uncertainty. We may feel alone. We may feel hopeless. We wonder what the future holds. We might feel more that a little stress. We have the promises of God to always be with us, yet we think He is a little slow in making good on what He has said. You might even feel like you are being held captive in your house.
The Bible let’s us know that what we are thinking and feeling during this time has happened before. In Isaiah 40 the prophet proclaimed that God would give comfort to His people. Verse two notes that Israel received the priceless comfort of having her sins forgiven through the sovereign work of God. For this reason Isaiah became known as the ‘Prophet of Redemption.’ In fact, Babylon had taken Israel captive and brought where they endured seventy years of exile. At last Isaiah tenderly speaks this soothing words that give hope in the midst of distress. Verse 11 uses the imagery of the shepherd who “gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.”
Jumping ahead to verse 21 and on Isaiah reminds God’s people of God’s eternal character. “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth” which He has created and rules over…Because of His great power and mighty strength not one” of the stars He made is out of place. Therefore, as the chapter closes, the everlasting God who cannot grow tired or weary will give strength to those who hope in Him. God’s comfort will sustain those who are His.
Jesus extends the same comfort to His disciples in John 14:1. During the Upper Room Discourse he stated, “Do not let you hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.” God has sent the Holy Spirit to abide with us as the Comforter. That fulfills what Jesus says in 14:27, “Peace, I leave with you; My peace I give you…Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 that our lives are to be full of praise for “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” We get to rejoice and rest in the best comfort there is – the comfort that comes from our Lord and Savior – the Good Shepherd who makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us besides quiet waters.
With great hope,
Pastor Gillikin