There’s a marvellous comparison between Zophar’s fundamental simplicity that writes off the wicked in virtually a single stroke, and Job’s thoughtful exploration of human nature in relationship to God.
I want, says Job, to do my thinking in the presence of God, as a conversation partner with God.
Read More comfort, self-sufficiency
In this brief three-verse passage, Jesus has just had it out with his opponents, the religious obtuse, the scholars of appearance, the powerful men who he knows will have him killed before long.
He has told them the facts, that they’re liars and murderers, and that, in his omniscience and ability to see over the sweep of history, he sees the blood on their hands and will hold them accountable.
Read More comfort, freedom, loving parent
Read Reflect Have you ever felt absolutely inconsolable? Have you ever felt as if nothing and no one could possibly comfort you because of what you’re going through? I have. The pain, the anguish, the hurt and emotions in a moment can easily make us feel as if they might completely consume us. However, today’s […]
Read More comfort, trouble
Read Reflect One of my most haunting memories is a visit to a church in Rwanda after the genocide. The bones of hundreds of Tutsi people lay on the floor where they had been killed. I was overwhelmed by the horror of decayed bodies reduced to bones in a place of worship. Standing before death, […]
Read More death, hope, comfortRead Reflect Paul, the pastor-missionary, opens his heart and reflects on his vocation in 2 Corinthians. Some parts of the letter are intensely personal and reveal his inner struggles. The debate about the unity of the epistle (there are suggestions that it was composed of portions of two or more letters) does not affect our […]
Read More trouble, comfort, service, times of needThe high notes of yesterday are not quite maintained. A recital of injustice, desperate pleas to God and a cry for vengeance are more prominent. Evil and pain are all-pervasive and cannot be ignored; they act as a constant challenge to faith, and anyone who pretends otherwise has not plumbed the depths of human agony or faced the questions that it raises.
Read More evil, pain, comfort, return