The more comfort to be had

Psalm 94: [17] Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.

[18] When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
[19] In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

“The Psalms are a beautiful haven when life is tough because they remind us of the power found in praise and worship regardless of our distresses," writes a Christian blogger. "They point us to the comfort found in His presence, even in the midst of pain, when we remember how wonderfully faithful and kind He is.

Paul writes in II Corinthians 1, [3] Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
[4] 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.
[5] For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
[6] 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.
[7] And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

“The word ‘comfort’ is an interesting word," explains Richard Jordan. "We usually think about comfort like patting somebody on the back, making them feel better. But the word 'comfort' in the Bible really means to fortify somebody in their inner man. ‘Fort’ is for fortitude. The prefix ‘com’ is ‘to bring it into your life’ with fortitude. ‘To be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.’

"That’s what comfort is and that’s what sound doctrine does in your inner man. The more doctrine--the more explanation, the more details you have--the more comfort there is.

“I’m often struck by I Thessalonians 4:18: ‘Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ This is what Paul writes after describing the details of the Rapture.

*****

“Peace in trouble, you learn at higher and higher levels, comes from standing and resting in the truth of God’s Word. More and more, putting to the death the 'old man' and the habits of the flesh is part of those rivers of living water that are torrents in the inner being flooding out everything that is not God.

“There’s never any growth without pressure or obstacles. Agape love is a mental-attitude love. By knowing ‘tribulation worketh,’ we learn how much God loves us; how highly He values and esteems us. We’re told ‘the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost.’

“That ‘shed abroad’ is like a great river coursing and flowing over our soul. It just comes and courses in and flows in over us and refreshes us. It’s like the old Nestea Plunge commercial. This sweaty, hot guy falls off into that pool and you just almost want to go ‘Ahhh’ yourself when you see him go under.

"As David says in Psalm 36: [7] How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

[8] They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
[9] For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

(new article tomorrow)