Comfort in Time of Need (Advent) - Wednesday, December 6
Comfort in Time of Need - Wednesday, December 6
“Comfort, comfort my people says your God...
and proclaim to her... that her sin has been paid for…"
Isaiah 40:1-2 (NIV)
The sound of a plane taking off in the dark of the night sent a sense of foreboding over me as I lie on my bed.
Although the sound of the engine meant that the weather had finally improved and planes could now fly again, I knew the plane was flying to a small community that had just experienced a tragic death as a result of suicide - something that happens all too often in northern Canadian Indigenous communities.
I knew the plane would be filled with the family and friends of the deceased, traveling to the small community to offer comfort and whatever assistance they could. A funeral would soon follow.
We have seen this so often, it has become the way of our people. We gather together and hold one another up in times of tragedy and sadness.
As I thought about this, I realized that, in a sense, the coming of Jesus was, and is, a way of bringing comfort to us in our sadness. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, a people spiritually blind and without hope. But Christ came out of the brightness of His heavenly Kingdom into our dark world of sadness and tragedy.
He offered forgiveness of sins, comfort in times of sorrow, and assurance that He will never leave us no matter what our circumstances.
The droning of the engine soon faded into the late night. All was quiet once again.
Knowing life as I have experienced it, here in the North, I know this foreboding scene will repeat itself again and again. But I am confident of the comfort that Jesus brings. He is our Savior and Lord, the one who alone can provide us with true comfort in time of need.
Dear Father, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. When times of tragedy and difficulty come into our lives, help us to experience Jesus as our hope and comfort. In Jesus’ name, Amen.