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In the past few months, several dear friends of mine have experienced death and separation. I have grieved with parents who lost children and husbands who have lost wives. During difficult seasons like this I find myself reliving hard times I have known when I have lost loved ones. I am reminded of promises of God which have brought me comfort and hope when I have walked through dark valleys of grief.

God’s Presence in God’s Promises

     In the past few months, several dear friends of mine have experienced death and separation. I have grieved with parents who lost children and husbands who have lost wives. During difficult seasons like this I find myself reliving hard times I have known when I have lost loved ones. I am reminded of promises of God which have brought me comfort and hope when I have walked through dark valleys of grief.
     A few of my favorite verses are, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)
     I also remember Jesus was described in Isaiah 53 as “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” A few chapters later this idea is amplified, “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.” (Isaiah 63:9)
     The thought that God was afflicted when the children of Israel were afflicted, is an incredible thought. Then I remembered Jesus at the home of Lazarus when He grieved with the friends and family of His friend and “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
     As I pondered the import of all of these passages, the Spirit of God posed this question to my heart, “What do these verses tell you about God?”
     I realized these encouraging promises, while a wonderful source of comfort and hope in times of grief, were also a portal into understanding more of the person of God. The fact that God grieves when we grieve reveals God’s compassion. God being “near to the brokenhearted” and a “present help” in trouble paints of picture of a tender Father who lovingly scoops up His hurting anxious child, and embraces them until they are comforted.

A New Thought
     I am beginning to see that the promises of God reveal the person of God. I have intentionally invested years in reading and studying the word of God, which has been life changing. Now I am beginning to understand in a fresh way, what Jesus said in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!”
     I have watched the memorial service of Elisabeth Elliot several times. One of the speakers at the Wheaton Service was Joni Eareckson Tada. These two godly women have tasted grief and experienced hardship in ways I have not. When they speak about suffering, I pay attention. Joni made this statement in her tribute to Elisabeth Elliot, “The Bible’s answers are never ever to be separated from the tender, sweet, holy, precious God of the Bible.”

God’s Ways Reveal God’s Nature
     Moses knew the ways of God pointed to the person of God, when he prayed, “show me your ways, that I may know you.” This phrase is part of a longer section which ends with Moses saying, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.” (Exodus 33:12, 15)
     As I continue to read God’s word, I am now pausing to reflect and consider how the scriptures reveal God’s character. One of my favorite verses is, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) As I ponder this truth I recognize that God’s word is eternal because He is eternal. “The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you.” (Deuteronomy 33:27 NLT)
     Another meaningful verse to me is the promise which declares that nothing can separate me from His love. “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)
This promise is consistent with the nature of God, who is love. “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” (1 John 4:16 NLT)

God’s Promises are an Extension of God’s Person
     David knew God. He had tasted and seen that God was good. He declared in Psalm 23 that God was his Shepherd. The rest of Psalm 23 flows from this conviction. With God as His Good Shepherd, He would provide all he needed, let him rest in green meadows; lead him beside peaceful streams, renew his strength, and guide him along straight paths. (adapted from Psalm 23:1-3 NLT)

     May the promises of God enlighten us to the person of God. And may God’s character color His word and His precepts. “We know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ.” (1 John 5:20 NLT) Amen.

Steve

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