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October 24
Peace in Believing
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. — John 14:1 BSB
We should all learn how to comfort others. No duty of Christian love requires more delicacy. We may study our Lord’s way of comforting to learn to give comfort ourselves to those who are in trouble. We see that He did not resort to the cold platitudes we often use when we try to console our friends in their grief.
One writes that “Other friends remain,”
That “Loss is common to the race,” —
And common is the commonplace,
And vacant chaff well meant for grain.
That loss is common would not make
My own less bitter, rather more:
Too common! Never morning wore
To evening but some heart did break.
But Christ did not comfort His people in this empty way. He offered no explanations, answered no questions, and gave no reasons. Instead, He simply told His disciples to believe. They could not understand the depth of their grief. They could see no light in the darkness. But they didn’t need to understand, nor did they need to see the light. All they had to do was believe—cling to Christ in the darkness and trust Him. In times of deep grief, this is the truest way to find comfort. Asking questions will not help, for no one can answer them. Straining to see light will not work, for there may be no light yet to see. The only thing to do is to throw ourselves into our Savior’s arms and rest there until the light breaks. We can always be sure of the love and faithfulness of Christ. We can, like John, nestle close to Jesus’ bosom and be quiet and confident, even in our greatest sorrow. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”