Drawing Comfort From God’s Word
JEHOVAH is “the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation.” (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4) Therefore, it is to him and his Word that we must turn to receive true comfort and solace in times of distress.—Romans 15:4.
If we are faithful to God, then he ‘will by no means leave or forsake us.’ Confidently, we can say: “Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5, 6; Psalm 37:39, 40; 145:20) Surely, therefore, we need not be depressed or discouraged, even when suffering great affliction.
As part of his great prophecy being fulfilled in our time, Jesus said: “You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death; and you will be objects of hatred by all people because of my name.” But just after that Jesus added: “And yet not a hair of your heads will by any means perish.” (Luke 21:16-18) How could that be? Because of the resurrection, the very same hope that sustained Paul. (John 5:28, 29; 2 Corinthians 1:9, 10) Is it not comforting to know that even death itself cannot take away our wonderful hope for the future?
Think of the comfort that this hope and the assurances of God’s help can bring to persecuted Christians enduring physical torture, to those crippled and maimed because of cruelties, to godly women who have been raped, to parents forcibly separated from their children. Yes, in Jehovah’s Word we find many expressions of comfort and assurance that can even cause us to rejoice when under tribulation.—Matthew 5:10-12.
Keep in Mind the Reward
When experiencing adversity and affliction, remember that nothing is happening to us that has not happened to other faithful servants of Jehovah. We can resist the Devil’s attempts to cause us to stop serving Jehovah if we do what the apostle Peter urged: “Take your stand against [the Devil], solid in the faith, knowing that the same things in the way of sufferings are being accomplished in the entire association of your brothers in the world.” (1 Peter 5:9) Yes, other Christians endure similar trials for the sake of the good news and do so without compromising. We can do the same.
We should take note not only of those who stood firm but also of the rewards they received. To illustrate: Satan, bent on proving that Job served Jehovah only for selfish reasons, brought one calamity after another upon this man of God. First his animals were destroyed, then his servants, and finally even his ten children. Not satisfied with that, Satan struck Job with “a malignant boil from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.” (Job, chapters 1 and 2) Did Job break his integrity to God because of these calamities?
No, he did not. But what about the reward? Well, Jehovah restored Job’s health, gave him “in double amount” all that had been his, and granted him an extended, satisfying life. (Job 42:10-17) In addition to these rewards, there is the far greater one of a resurrection with the prospect of everlasting life on a paradise earth. (Job 14:13-15) Surely, Job’s experience gives comfort and strength to suffering Christians today.
“Jehovah Helps”
Now, consider the case of a Christian woman who endured many years of suffering in concentration camps in Germany during World War II. In addition to dreadful conditions, brutal persecution, and privations was a forced separation from her husband and child for five years, not knowing what was happening to them. Finally, after years of faithful endurance, she was reunited with her husband and child, and the three of them have been serving Jehovah faithfully ever since. Note her comments concerning her experience:
“My years in German concentration camps taught me an outstanding lesson. It is how greatly Jehovah’s spirit can strengthen you when you are under extreme trial! Before I was arrested, I had read a sister’s letter that said that under severe trial Jehovah’s spirit causes a calmness to come over you. I thought that she must have been exaggerating a bit. But when I went through trials myself, I knew that what she had said was true. It really happens that way. It’s hard to imagine it, if you have not experienced it. Yet it really happened to me. Jehovah helps.”
Are you not comforted and strengthened by these expressions? Because of holding fast her integrity under trial, this Christian woman, along with her family, looks ahead to realizing her hope of everlasting life. (Hebrews 10:39) What a grand reward for faithfulness!
After experiencing trials for years, how did our beloved brother Paul feel? Discouraged? Downhearted? Depressed? Not at all! He was confident, hopeful, glad that he had endured. “I have fought the fine fight, I have run the course to the finish, I have observed the faith,” said Paul. “From this time on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me as a reward in that day.” (2 Timothy 4:7, 8) Paul held his course without wavering and has received his heavenly reward. (Philippians 3:4-14) Who is not comforted by such a fine example? May we similarly endure adversity, draw comfort from the Scriptures, and remain loyal to our loving God, Jehovah.
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Job’s experience gives strength to suffering Christians today