Isaiah 40: Comfort for God’s People

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. Isaiah 40: 1-2

These specific words were written at a specific time to a specific person to comfort a people in specific circumstances. Yet they are God’s words for eternity to His people, all His people. You and I are not in that other time or place, yet these words tell us about God and His interaction with His people, us.

Our God wants to comfort us. He speaks “tenderly.” Can you hear or feel His tender message of comfort? He knows how fragile you are, so He uses just the right gentle voice so you won’t be broken or alarmed into a panic reaction. He knows you need tenderness in your present circumstances.

He says your “hard service” has been completed. Yes, He knows it is very hard service, indeed, this grieving. It takes so much energy. It robs your attention from other responsibilities, so you can’t always carry all the responsibilities you used to carry. And it’s hard service to be faithful through the grief. This trying to grieve and “not sin” (Ephesians 4:26) is difficult. This grieving yet being “thankful in every circumstance” (I Thessalonians 5:18). This is a sacrifice and it’s a hard service to Him.

But He says it’s complete. Now, I’m not sure it is completed for each of you at this moment. But this verse does imply that there is an end eventually. That thought alone brings a little comfort – it won’t always be this bad!

The Word says “her sin has been paid for.” That’s a comfort. If you sometimes feel you did something wrong with or to your child, if you feel you failed to do something you should have done or wanted to do but hadn’t gotten around to it yet, your “sin has been paid for.” If you are feeling like you are not grieving like a good, believing Christian should, your “sin has been paid for.” If you said words to someone a couple days ago that you never would have said without the grief weighing on you, your “sin has been paid for.” If you are having trouble believing God is good, your “sin has been paid for.” If you can imagine any other offense that I haven’t mentioned here, your “sin has been paid for.” It does not need to be a burden to you any longer because your “sin has been paid for.”

This Word says you have received double for your sins. Now I’m not exactly sure what that means. But since the line above says your “sin has been paid for,” it can’t mean you’ll get a double dose of punishment for each of your sins. I think it means you’ll get a double dose of His grace, abundant grace, for each day’s challenges.

What a tender, forgiving, understanding Comforter we have access to. You are invited to “come boldly before the throne of grace to get help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Whatever your need is now, there is grace for it, and a tender Comforter.

Death – is the evidence that something is terribly wrong.

What brought death? As much as I hate to say it, God did. He imposed death as a sentence of punishment because of Adam’s disobedience. Have you ever thought about that? How serious was the offense that death was the proper sentence? God has laid down the principle of equal punishment for the crime – an eye for an eye, and no more. We are not to punish with a sentence of a 7 (on a scale of 1 to 10) for an infraction of a 2. God’s principle: the punishment should fit the crime. So disobedience to His directions is enough of an offense to qualify for death! In other words, sin is much more important to Him than I thought, and than it has been to me! I figure my behavior deserves a slap on the proverbial wrist. But evidently, I’m not seeing it from His perspective.

You know from first-hand experience how terrible death is. You know how profound it is to see the life in a person you care deeply about come to an end. Possibly, you have witnessed the last breath. You know the impenetrable gulf of separation that death makes between one who has died and those who survive the loss. Why would the God of creation think death, and the separation that implies, is the right treatment for his creatures who sin? Because the offense against the Lord and Creator is so great.* All disobedience calls His authority into question and that is sin. All sin seeks to diminish Him and His role in our lives. It is more than just disobeying a rule. It is really questioning His right to tell me what to do in any way. It is putting myself above the Lord God Almighty! And that can not be. So sin is punished by total and eternal separation from the Creator. We are made for fellowship with that very Creator-God. But, without outside help, we can never fulfill that destiny. Sin is sin and the sinner deserves to be removed from His presence permanently. Indeed, the sinner has indicated he wants to be out of His presence anyway. The Father is giving sinners what they want!

(*I have said it before but here it is again: I am not saying your child sinned therefore he died. I’m not saying there is a specific sin and so death is his sentence. NO. The general truth is that we all sin and we all die. It is specifically true that one man, Adam, sinned, therefore all die. There is another specific truth too: one completely righteous man, Jesus, died and God sees his sinlessness applying to all who come to Him to have their sin covered by His righteousness. But there is no one-to-one relationship between anything you or your child did that brought death as its punishment from God. See the story of the blind man in John 9.)

That’s why death exists – because sin deserves punishment. So I can never be where I’m supposed to be –with God-Creator. There is a profound loneliness in me because of this. I will never be what and where I was created for. But the same Creator, Punishment-pronouncer, also made a different thing. He made a way to reconcile the present separation with what should be –being together. God sent His Son to communicate what God is like and to take the punishment people deserve, so that creatures can be back where we belong.

Death is profoundly terrible. You have seen it. It’s a sign how profoundly terrible sin/disobedience is. I have done it. God has taken necessary steps to repair the brokenness created by sin and death, so I/we can fulfill the purpose for which we have been created – to be in His presence. It cost Him a lot – the life of His own Son. It cost me nothing, just to submit to His definitions of what sin is and what the solution is. I am reconciled to fulfill my original destiny. I am grateful.

Where’s the comfort in this message this week? It’s found in the fact that the Creator is also the Solution to the problem of Sin and Death. He entered in. He redeems all who submit to His definitions and accept His invitation to love. You can fulfill your original destiny to be with Him at His home which is heaven. In heaven there is a happy reunion for all who also believe these things.

Latest News from H*VMI Ghana

Recently, Paul Lehto, our now retired Director of Development, and I had the opportunity to visit H*VMI's ministry in Ghana, West Africa. God is doing amazing things through that ministry even though they have so few resources. The thing that stood out to both of us is the incredible dedication to the ministry among the H*VMI ministry team there. That dedication blessed our hearts.

For instance:  Joanna, the secretary for H*VMI Ghana, travels 3 hours in each direction from her home to the H*VMI office, Monday through Friday, to minister there.  She has been doing this for about 16 years - always with a smile on her face.

The H*VMI staff in Ghana grabs every opportunity and does an outstanding job bringing the Truth of God's precious Word to people with disabilities on the streets of Accra, in the deaf and blind schools, at our own camps and even in a nearby refugee camp.

Our hearts were encouraged and at the same time burdened for those who are disabled and hurting in this needy country.

One of the properties H*VMI owns and operates in Ghana is a residence for children born to women with disabilities who live on the streets of Accra. There are approximately 30 children living there who are receiving the opportunity to get an education, learn a skill and get good Biblical training by people who love the Lord Jesus. These children also learn to recognize the value of their mothers by seeing them through God's eyes and desire to minister to them.

The concern I brought home with me is for the residential facility itself. The roof leaks in so many places that it must be replaced. The water has affected the electrical system to the point that shocks have been felt through receptacles. The estimate we received from a trusted local worker is $12,600 in USA money to replace the roof. The problem is, the rainy season begins in April.

As you can imagine, I'm deeply concerned to the point that I've set up a special account here at the USA office for funds that could help cover the emergency need.

Would you please join me in praying that the Lord will answer, as only He can, to meet this need?

Of Two Worlds

Rabbi Bunim taught:. We are each the joining of two worlds. We are fashioned from clay, but our spirit is the breath of Adonai. (from Tales of The Hasidim Later Masters, Martin Buber) You too are in two worlds. Fallen And resurrected, restored, heaven (Genesis 2:7; John 3:5-7, 16,17)

I came across this quote in someone’s letter of thanksgiving for events in their lives. It made me think….

We live in a fallen world. If you weren’t clearly aware of that before your child died, you surely are now! Nothing teaches more clearly that this world is not as it should be. We are all aware that “there is something wrong!” the first time anyone said your child might not make it, whether it was at the beginning of a long illness or at the first moment you entered the hospital after a call that there “has been an accident…”

We live in fallen world but we have an awareness of the restoration that will be in the resurrection. We’re aware that something could be better. That something should be better. We live one reality – fallenness. We hope and long for the other reality – the restored world as it should be.

Sometimes, while we’re living in the fallen reality, we expect the perfection of the restored reality, and are greatly disappointed. We live with dashed dreams. We live with physical, spiritual, or emotional pain. We live in a world that is broken, fallen and not as it could be. We imagine something so much better. That ability to image is an expression of an awareness of heaven that God has put in our hearts! (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Part of your grief is a reaction to this big picture: that our world is broken. The double reality causes tension, fear, sadness, confusion. In God’s perfect world, death does not exist - so your child would not have died. But we’re living in a fallen world and the death occurred. God is in the business of restoring all that’s broken. He is in the business of redeeming all that’s lost. He is working in your life to bring you healing, here in this world. He is working in your life so that in the end of all things, you will LIVE in his perfect world where you and the child are restored to each other. In that world, things are as they should be! The best you could imagine. And even better than that! Where there is no more death or mourning or pain. (Revelation 22:4)

The Grief Nerve

Last night, at our grief group, a woman said something in a way I’ve never heard it before. A scene in a movie “hit her grief nerve” so she cried and cried, not about the movie scene but about her own loss, decades ago. Recently her mother died, and in that context the scene in the movie brought back a grief from a miscarriage long ago. She was already a little fragile. And, in my opinion, one grief is connected to all past losses too. So she grieved anew. I’ve written about triggers bringing memories and grief at surprising times. We’ve called that being blindsided by grief. But this new way of expressing it – it “hit my grief nerve” – says it again, perfectly! Something here and now brings up old memories and feelings suddenly and sharply – like hitting the funny bone in your elbow. It’s shocking! The shock is almost electric and goes throughout the body. Likewise, the grief shock goes throughout your being. Unbidden, unexpected and unprepared for. But there it is, a shock, a memory, some (maybe many) tears.

The next time something hits your grief nerve, stay with those tears a few minutes. Grieve that grief. When you do this, the next time that memory or situation comes up, it will have less shocking power over you. By giving it some attention, you will take hold of the memory but diminish the sorrow in it. You’ll be gaining, little by little, some control over your grief. In addition to the loss, isn’t that one of the distressing things about grief – that you have so little control?

May the Lord also surprise you with sudden jolts of mercy, of grace, of someone’s helpful insight or word of kindness. May the Lord be there with you, in the shocking moment. Here is a message from God for you: ”The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8- Moses says this to Joshua before sending him into the land of the promise.) It's a promise for you too because it is rooted in the unchanging the character of God.

#23 a Psalm of David

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (NIV)

Let us let this be our Psalm for this new year. Let this be our guide and our goal. It describes who we go with and how He and I relate to one another. He’s the shepherd, care-giver, leader and guide. He provides for my needs and He comforts me. I’m the sheep, the follower, the scared and needy one.

It describes our starting point: fear and shadows. And it describes our goal and our ending point: green pastures, quiet waters, restoration. He describes the conditions in which we shall find ourselves at the end of this journey through the valley of grief: surrounded by abundant love in a banquet party just for us. He is Good. He has prepared for each of us to arrive. Even if we have enemies along the way, they can’t spoil the banquet when we are in the house of the Lord.

What enemies might we have? Your enemies are not soldiers, but you do face enemies during the journey through the grief valley. How about those who say unkind or ignorant things? They may not have information about normal grief. They may have unrealistic expectations. For example someone might have said to you: “aren’t you over that yet?” How about the little voice that keeps accusing you of wrong doing in the course of your child’s life? Guilt. Well, the enemy of our soul is the source of those accusations! How about the enemy called time? It takes longer than anyone who hasn’t done the journey imagines, to put life back together after the death of your child. How do you order your life without the one who died? There was so much he was the center of and so much he helped with. It all has changed!

This psalm is filled with promises but there is only one condition we have to meet. Just one, though you see it in 2 ways. We must follow the shepherd. We must dwell in the house of the Lord. This is the same thing in two different contexts. One is expressed in a process and the other is tied to a place. We are traveling in the first paragraph, so being with the Lord means following His leading. We have arrived at the banquet hall in the second paragraph, and being with Him means being at Home. All we have to do is choose to be with Him, wherever we are in the journey. Then He will lead, provide, protect and comfort. Then He will hold a banquet when we have arrived. That’s the goal – to arrive at the party He has planned for us!