God’s Comfort

Dreary days. Gray skies. They can make us feel gloomy. 

The death of loved ones, separation or estrangement from family or friends weighs heavily on our hearts. What can we focus on in those times? 

Malachi 4:2 tells us. “But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.” 

What does Malachi mean? 

Theologian Charles Spurgeon explains: “Jesus, like the sun, is the center and soul of all things, the fullness of all good, the lamp that lights us, the fire that warms us, the magnet that guides and controls us; he is the source and fountain of all life, beauty, fruitfulness, and strength.” ¹  

Jesus is called the Sun of Righteousness because on the most dreary of days when we are gloomy and despairing, we can ask Him to fill us with His Spirit and shine in our hearts and minds.

Call on Jesus now to rise in your heart. Ask Him to fill you with the light of His glory.

I praise You, Jesus, SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Please enlighten my mind and lighten my heart as I look to You. 

Praise is a powerful weapon we can use to turn around feelings of hopelessness or discouragement. Download this free printable of the attributes of Jesus from the book of John. As you read through them, praise God for each one!

^{1 The Spurgeon Center, Accessed October 5, 2023, http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/1020.htm.} 

 

In Christian circles, we often speak of the joy of the Lord and rightly so. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. However, that doesn’t mean every day will be free of sorrow. Isaiah 53:3 states that Jesus, although filled with godly joy, was also “…despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”

I remember when this reality hit home with me. I was reading and then praying Philippians 3:7-10: that I “know Christ and the power of His resurrection.” I was changed after that prayer. The Holy Spirit filled me and I read the Bible with new eyes. I had an intimacy with and passion for Christ that I’d not experienced. But I stopped my prayer before the end of verse 10: “that I know the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” I had no desire to experience Christ’s sufferings and sorrows. 

Years later, I discovered what the “fellowship of His sufferings” meant. It hurt. It was not fun. I cried. I journaled Scriptures. And, most importantly, my intimacy with the Lord deepened in a way it might not have had I not gone through that time and other times since then; including a lung cancer diagnosis in 2024.

If you are going through a time of sorrow or grief, stay the course with Jesus. Get up close to Him. “Curl up” in His presence with your Bible. Hold His Word close to your heart. Pour out your fears, desires, and questions to Him. Be still and wait for His comforting thoughts and verses He brings to your mind. Be mindful that He is near to you and will love you through whatever you are facing. 

Jesus, MAN OF SORROWS, thank You for being with me as I go through hard, sorrowful times. Deepen my intimacy with You and trust in You. Use me, my voice, to sound forth Your sufficiency to others. 

Are you walking through a difficult season or know someone who is? Visit our Hope for the Cancer+ Journey page for free, faith-filled resources designed to encourage and strengthen not only those battling cancer, but anyone facing hard times.