July 10

O afflicted city, lashed by storms, without solace, surely I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires. — Isa 54:11 BSB

The Lord compares his suffering Church to a ship at sea, laboring in a violent storm, driven off course by strong winds—much like Paul’s experience in the Adriatic—unsure whether it will ever reach the safety of the harbor, as the hymn describes: “Half a wreck by tempests driven.”

What a picture this is of a soul tossed by life’s storms! The sun and stars hidden, the compass lost, the chart useless, the pilot absent, and dangerous reefs ahead! Many of God’s people are in this situation, tossed by various tempests—some by doubts and fears, others by sinful desires and corruption, some by rebellion and anger, others by guilt and despair, or even dark forebodings and fearful thoughts. In these storms, they are driven far off course, with no clear evidence of God’s presence, no bright manifestations of his grace. Darkness surrounds them, and the raging sea beneath threatens to overwhelm them. There is no harbor in sight, and all hope of reaching safety seems lost.

But Zion, God’s people, is described as “not comforted,” meaning that no one but God can bring her comfort. This is a clear sign of God’s work in a soul. When a person is so deeply distressed that no human comfort can reach them, we are witnessing the work of the Spirit. Hypocrites are not found in this place. False believers can easily find comfort in things God has not given or apply to themselves what God has not provided. But Zion’s distinguishing mark is that she is “not comforted.” Her wounds are too deep for human remedies, her sickness too severe for earthly cures. God alone holds the comfort she needs, and only from his lips can consolation be spoken into her soul.