The Consolation of Christ
Happiness does not mean living without pain or hurt. True happiness is learning how to live faithfully and graciously one day at a time in spite of sorrow and pain. It is learning how to rejoice in the Lord, no matter what has happened in the past. You may feel rejected and abandoned. Your faith may be weak, and you think you are down for the count. Sorrow, tears, pain and emptiness may swallow you up at times, but God is still on the throne. He is still the Lord Almighty!
You cannot help yourself or stop the pain, but our blessed Lord will come to you. He will place his loving hand under you and lift you up to sit again in heavenly places. He will deliver you from the fear of dying, and he will reveal his endless love for you.
Look up! Encourage yourself in the Lord. Scripture says, “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:5, NKJV).
When the fog surrounds you and you can’t see any way out of your dilemma, lie back in the arms of Jesus and simply trust him. He wants your faith and your confidence. He wants you to cry aloud, “Jesus loves me! He is with me. He will not fail me. He is working it all out right now. I will not be cast down. I will not be a victim of Satan. I will not lose my mind or my direction. God is on my side. I love him, and he loves me!”
The bottom line is faith, and your faith can rest on this Word: “’No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 54:17).
Convince yourself that you will survive. Live or die, you belong to the Lord. You will come through suffering. Life does go on, and it will surprise you how much you can bear with God’s help.
