The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, vol. 73

October 6, 1896

“The Comfort of God” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 73, 40, pp. 635, 636.

GOD desires to make manifest the knowledge of himself by us in every place. In order that this may be done, it is essential that we recognize him in every place. He will not reign in our lives without our consent. It is by our co-operation that all is to be done. “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” “Willing” is the present acting of the will. “If ye be willing,” is therefore to say, If the present acting of your will is that God shall be glorified, that his will shall be done, and you yield yourself to his will, ye shall eat the good of the land. “Choose ye this day,” each day, “while it is called to-day,” “whom ye will serve.” Thus it is that in order that God may make manifest the knowledge of himself by us in every place, it is essential that we acknowledge him in every place. ARSH October 6, 1896, page 635.1

To acknowledge this is only to acknowledge the truth. It is so much the truth that it is the truth whether we acknowledge it or not. When Paul stood on Mars Hill, with a crowd of the greatest heathen before him, among whom there was not one Christian, he spoke the word of God,—that he is “not far from every one of us.” Not far is near; so that he is near to every man in the world. So near is he, indeed, that he stands at the very door, he will most gladly enter and reign in the life, and make manifest the fragrance of the knowledge of himself by that man in every place. ARSH October 6, 1896, page 635.2

The Lord being thus near even to the heathen, and thus near to those who continually refuse to open to him the door of their lives, how much more is it true that he is near to those who have opened the door, and have yielded themselves to him. To all these he says, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” “I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand.” “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.... Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Yea, even “the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” ARSH October 6, 1896, page 635.3

All this shows that nothing can enter your life or mine, of the value of a sparrow,—a quarter of a cent or less,—but that God is there to meet it and watch over it, and make it turn to our good and to his own glory. It shows that nothing can enter your life that is of as much importance as one of the hairs of your head, but that God is there to meet it and make it turn to your good. And thus “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” Therefore it is written that “the God of all comfort,” “comforteth us in all our tribulation.” This world is a world of trial, of difficulty, of trouble. “Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” Such being the sort of world that this is, so long as we are in this world, we shall meet, and we are only to expect to meet, just such things as are in the world. We are not to ask to be kept from the trials that this world presents, but to be kept while in them. We are to ask for grace and discernment to find God there, that we may find his grace in every trial, his power in every difficulty, his comfort in all our tribulation. ARSH October 6, 1896, page 635.4

This, too, not only that all the experiences of this world may be made to work for our own good and our own salvation, but also that by all these experiences we may be prepared the better to pass on that salvation to those who do not know it. Indeed, this latter is the very point dwelt upon in the passage which declares, “The God of all comfort,” “comforteth us in all our tribulation.” Here it is in full: “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” As the object of God’s comforting us is to make us able to comfort others, it is plain enough that the purpose of our meeting the trials that this world affords, is to enable us to help other people who meet these same trials. In order for us to be a real help to others, we must understand their experiences, their trials, their troubles. ARSH October 6, 1896, page 635.5

People who are of this world only, have only the experiences that this world affords. But God wants them to know a better experience than any of these. He wants them to know him. He wants them to know him everywhere and in all things. He wants them to know his power and his comfort, that will take all these experiences, and turn them to the salvation of those who meet them. And you and I, who profess to know him, who have taken his name upon us,—he expects that we shall acknowledge him in all these things, and that we shall thus find his power and his comfort turning all the bitter into sweet, turning for us all that seems to be against us, and thus be ourselves made able to comfort them that are in any trouble, with the comfort which we ourselves have received from God when we were in the like experiences that others meet who do not know God. Thus the Lord proposes to cause us always to triumph in Christ, and also to make manifest the knowledge of himself by us in every place and to all people. ARSH October 6, 1896, page 635.6

As a sparrow cannot fall on the ground without your Father, much less can anything fall into your life without your Father. And when anything does fall into your life, it is only that you may be more able to minister to all others the knowledge of God; it is only that you may be able the better to convey to others the knowledge of the salvation of God. This also is written. Here it is: “And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation.” Why was Paul afflicted?—It was for the consolation and salvation of other people. Why was Christ afflicted? Why was he, the majesty of heaven, made as we are, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief?—It was for the consolation and salvation of all. Why, then, are you afflicted?—It is for the consolation and salvation of other people. That is the truth. The Lord says it, and it is so. ARSH October 6, 1896, page 635.7

Yet many, instead of looking at trials and afflictions in this way, allow Satan to deceive them into thinking that the Lord is angry with them, and is punishing them for some great sin that they are afraid they have done, and which they couldn’t think of if it was to save their lives. And so instead of meeting, in their trial or their affliction, “the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort,” they see only the black, scowling face of a god of vengeance, of their own imaginings and Satan’s suggestion. And thus, instead of meeting God’s purpose in being, by these experiences, made better able to comfort them that are in any trouble, and to bear consolation and salvation to other people, they only cripple themselves in them. Let it not be so any more. Let God be true, and say with Paul: “Whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation;” “or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.” So that whether we are in affliction or in comfort, there is to be consolation and salvation to others in it. ARSH October 6, 1896, page 635.8

There are on every hand those who are in trouble, those who are afflicted, those who are sorely tried and in discouragement. They do not know God; they do not find him and his comfort, his power, his strength, his courage. Christians are in the world to convey to these poor, troubled souls the comfort of God. Christians are here to say to them that are cast down. In God “there is lifting up;” to say to the discouraged, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world;” “be strong and of a good courage;” to the weak, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Christians are here to “comfort them which are in any trouble.” ARSH October 6, 1896, page 635.9

And now the Lord knows whom you will meet next week or next year. He knows now what will be the trouble of those souls when you do meet them. He wants you to be able, when you meet those souls, to comfort them with the comfort of God. But you are not prepared now to do that; for you have never had the experience that will be the experience of those souls when you meet them. Therefore, that you may be able to minister to their good when you meet them next week or next year, the Lord leads you to-day through the experience which you need in order that you may be able to comfort them when you meet them. So that what he is doing with you now by these experiences, is simply making you a better minister of his grace, a better minister of the knowledge of himself in every place. It may be that he leads you through the dark waters that fairly go over the soul. But do not fear nor faint. Jesus went that way before you. And now he says, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee.... I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand.” “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” I comfort thee, that thou mayest be able to comfort them which are in any trouble; that thou mayest be for consolation and salvation, in every place. ARSH October 6, 1896, page 635.10

This is what the Father did with the Son in this world, that he might bring consolation and salvation to you and me. This is what Jesus did with Paul, “for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” If “it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings,” shall we say that it does not become us? If, in order “that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God,” “in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren,” shall it be that we, whom he has made a royal priesthood, shall shun to partake of like experiences of our fellow men, in order that we may the better convey to them the knowledge of God? If in order that he might be “able to succor them that are tempted,” it was necessary that he himself should suffer, being tempted in all points like as we are, shall it be that we shall shun the trials and sufferings of mankind, and so shut ourselves of mankind, and so shut ourselves off from being able to succor the tempted, to comfort the afflicted, and to lift up the cast down? ARSH October 6, 1896, page 634.1

No, no! “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.... Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” “As he is, so are we in this world.” We are here in Christ’s stead, praying men “in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” Therefore let every one who has name the name of Christ say in the joy and courage of a living faith, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. ARSH October 6, 1896, page 634.2

A. T. J.