Daily Devotional For Thursday, December 5, 2024
As we continue to look together at the words of Christmas, our word for today is COMFORT. When you consider our ideas of what Christmas should be, they often revolve around comfort. We have dreams of sitting by a comfortable fire eating comfort foods with the comfort of our family surrounding us. Let’s go back to those comfort foods for a moment. When you were growing up, what was the food that shouted Christmas to you? Maybe it was pies baking in the oven, a treat like peppermint or fudge or toffee, or a Christmas turkey or ham. We don’t crave comfort foods because they are the best for us — they often aren’t. We crave these foods because they somehow remind us of home.
God understands this craving for comfort at a deeper level than we think because He also craves comfort. Not for Himself — He always has all He needs in the perfection of who He is. He craves this comfort for you. It is the cry of God in Isaiah 40:1, “ Comfort, comfort my people,’ says your God” (NLT). Jesus echoes this cry when He weeps for the crowds of people He sees in Jerusalem in Luke 13:34, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me” (NLT).
Notice that even though they had done wrong in Luke 13:34, Jesus still wanted to gather and comfort them — if only they were willing. We weep when we need to be comforted. Often during the Christmas season, we long for things to be as they once were. As you weep, remember that God weeps with you when you need to be comforted. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
This is the promise of Psalm 23:4, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me” (NLT). In times of bad weather, shepherds took their sheep into the valley for shelter from the elements. There was one danger in the valley for sheep – predators who hid in the crevices looking for any prey to attack. Another predator (so to speak) in these valleys (or wadis as they were called) were flash floods that could sweep away and drown the sheep.The shadows of these dangerous canyons are a picture of the terrors and trials of death.
Old Testament scholar James A. Johnson writes this:
“The Christian life is not always peaceful and easy. God gives us valleys, too, and each one of us will face the deep valley of death at the end of our lives. One of the greatest problems in the valley is fear. Is God still in control? Is evil going to harm me? Will I be swept away or torn to pieces? The Shepherd’s presence is the answer to our fear. Jesus himself trusted God the Father through the valley of death—and God was faithful to him. Jesus, our Shepherd, traveled through the valley of the shadow of death and came out triumphant on the other side” (James A. Johnson, Preaching The Word Bible Commentary, “The Psalms: Rejoice, The Lord is King, Psalms 1-41), p. 249).
Philip Keller, was a shepherd for several years and he writes this in his book. When sheep lie down, Keller says, it is because they are feel safe and satisfied.
“It is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down unless four requirements are met. Owing to their timidity they refuse to lie down unless they are free of all fear. Because of their social behavior within a flock, sheep will not lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their kind. If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down. Only when free of these pests can they relax. Lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in need of finding food. They must be free from hunger. So lying down implies that sheep are free from fear, friction, flies, and hunger. Their shepherd cares for them physically, medically, socially, and emotionally” (Source: Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, p. 35).
Even if you are not weeping for comfort, the truth is all of us are craving the comfort that can come into our lives only by God’s Presence. This is why Jesus called the Holy Spirit “the Comforter.” Look at John 15:26, “But I will send you the Comforter—the Holy Spirit, the source of all truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about Me” (TLB). As we pray, let Him comfort you right now.
As our Good Shepherd, Jesus guides us, protects us from spiritual predators and comforts us in our griefs, hurts and loss. As we pray, let Him comfort you right now. When our minds and hearts are weighted down from worry, stress, fear, anxiety and concerns, we find it hard to be comforted unless we refuse to let our Shepherd comfort us.
Questions To Consider
- When has there been a time or experience in your life that someone attempted to comfort you but their attempts failed? How did you handle it?
- When was there a time you attempted to comfort someone and it did not help them. What did you learn from that?
- If you have children, our children come to us for comfort many times during their lives. If your children are with you, take a moment to walk them down memory lane about a time they came to you for comfort. Help them relive it so they see and understand how God comforts us as our heavenly Father.
- We all have spiritual valleys we go through in life. If your children are with you, to help them understand this, a valley is a dark place at times.
- Take a blanket and have your children cover themselves with it. With them under it, lightly tap it as if you are hitting it. Ask them how that felt. Or have them walk around the house for a few minutes with the blanket over their head blinding them to everything. Since it is their home, it will still be tough because they can’t see as they walk with the blanket over them. Use that as a lesson to discuss to help them “see” how difficult it is for us to handle dark hard times.
- Then put the blanket back on them again and you lead them around the house telling them where everything is. Compare that to how the Holy Spirit helps us in hard times.
- Discuss as a family the times your whole family has been through a dark time and how Jesus our Good Shepherd helped you get through it.
Scripture To Meditate On; Matthew 11:28-29, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. (29) Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely, lightly and have comfort for your soul” (PAR).
Prayer To Pray: “Father, I am willing. I am willing to be comforted by Your love. I am willing to be comforted by Your grace. Forgive me for those times that I look to temporary things to give the kind of comfort that only You can give. I am willing to be comforted by You. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly