Thoughts Of Comfort Series

Thoughts of Comfort

I would take nothing away from the grief you feel today. I would not say to you that everything is all right. Because it’s not and you know it. You hurt. And we know you will hurt for a long time. God made us so that we can have relationships with one another and when that relationship is lost we feel pain. You have lost a loved one - and it hurts.

Yet, I would like to speak a word of comfort today. It comes from John 14:1-6, where it says;

Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am there you may be also. And you know the way I am going. Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life; no on comes to the Father, but through Me.

From this passage of scripture I find three thoughts of comfort.

The first is that peace is promised. Notice the words “Let not you heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me”. Yes, I know that today is a day of sadness - a day of grief, a day of mourning, yet even in the midst of this you can have peace. Why? Because we have faith - we believe. We believe that even in the midst of the storm - even in the valley of the shadow of death there can be a peace that pass all understanding - because we know that God is with us. The 23rd Psalm says that too, doesn’t it. “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” He is here. He is present. Believe in Him - Trust in Him and God will grant you his perfect peace.

The second thought of comfort is that God has prepared a place for us. Did you notice that in John 14, it says; “I go to prepare a place for you.” The Bible tells us that in six days God created the heavens the earth,but just think, Jesus has been preparing a place for us for two thousand years. What a place that must be. The verse tells us that it is The Father’s house and that there are many rooms. A room for _____, a room for you - a room for me. Isn’t that a comforting thought? God has prepared a place for us.

The next thought of comfort is that God has prepared a way for us to get there. Everyone wants to go to heaven, some just don’t know the way. But Jesus tells us in John 14 that, “I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” We are all travelers on a road called life. There are many detours and many side streets. We don’t need to be confused - we don’t need to be lost. All we need to do is follow Jesus. He will show us the way - in fact He is the way. He will lead us and He will guide us. That’s comforting.

There is a song that we sing in church sometimes. It is based on John 14 it goes like this:

I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop,

In that bright land where we’ll never grow old;

And some day yonder; We’ll never more wonder,

But walk the streets of purest gold.

Do you see the mansion? It’s just over the hilltop. The lights are on and the door is open. There’s a meal prepared. There are friends and there’s comfort.