Remember your promise to me, your servant; it has given me hope. Even in my suffering I was comforted because your promise gave me life. Psalm 119:49-50, GNT

 

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal encouragement and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, NIV

 

At five o’clock one morning I was knocking at the door of two elderly people. The news I was bringing was the kind of news that you hoped never to deliver to anybody. Their daughter, who was born when they were already advanced in years, took her own life earlier that morning. She was to be their joy in their old age, but now there was only sorrow.

 

How do you console or comfort people in such circumstances? Is it possible to be consoled at all? Not everybody experiences something so profoundly traumatic, but many of us have our own story of grief and loss. Perhaps our story has not unfolded yet, but still lies somewhere in the future. We as a family, for instance, have our own story of intense grief with the death of our son-in-law at a young age.

 

The heading of this part of the Psalm, which begins with verse 49, is: “Confidence in the Law of the Lord.” The poet tells us that he was suffering. What gave cause to this distress or misery we do not know, but he was in a severe crisis. In this time of suffering, the only thing that kept him standing was: “Even in my suffering I was comforted because your promise gave me life.” These words ring true for all of us who are suffering. My family can testify to it.

 

There is even more to the story of comfort. Aside from our need for comfort in times of sadness and crisis, we also need comfort in our spiritual lives. The words that Paul wrote to the believers in Thessalonica link up beautifully with those in Psalm 119. Paul also talks about eternal comfort and good hope. In the times when we struggle to live our “every good deed and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:17, NIV), when we feel burdened by everyday problems and especially when our faith is at a low point, God will give us comfort and hope.

 

Prayer: Dear Father, we are but little children who very often skin our knees on life’s rough roads. Without your love and comfort, we cannot be healed. Thank you for always being there when we need to be consoled. Amen

 

 

 

En mag julle in al die goeie wat julle in woord en daad doen, bemoedig en gesterk word deur ons Here Jesus Christus en God ons Vader. Hy het aan ons sy liefde bewys en aan ons deur sy genade 'n blywende troos en goeie hoop gegee. 2 Tessalonisense 2:16-17, 1983-vertaling

 

Vyfuur een oggend staan ek voor die deur van twee ouerige mense. Die boodskap wat ek vir hulle moes oordra was dat hulle laatlam dogter 'n paar uur vroeër haar eie lewe geneem het. Dié dogter sou hulle twee se vreugde wees in hulle oudag, maar nou was daar niks.

 

Waar kom die troos vir mense in sulke omstandighede vandaan? Kan hulle getroos word? Nie almal van ons beleef miskien ooit sulke intense hartseer nie, maar baie van ons het iewers 'n verhaal van hartseer en verlies, of dalk lê so 'n verhaal nog iewers in ons toekoms. Ons gesin het ons eie verhaal van groot hartseer met die dood van ons skoonseun op 'n jong ouderdom.

 

Die opskrif wat Bybelvertalers vir Psalm 119 gegee het is baie passend: “U woord vergeet ek nie.” In ons teksvers skryf die digter dat hy in die ellende was. Wat sy ellende was, weet ons nie, maar die woord ellende dui op 'n erge krisis. In hierdie krisis is al wat hom in die lewe hou, die beloftes van God. Dit is en bly vandag nog die groot troos wanneer ons deur diep waters gaan. Ons as gesin kan daarvan getuig.

 

Dit is net een kant van die verhaal. Benewens troos in hartseer en krisis, het ons dikwels op geestelike gebied troos nodig. Kyk hoe mooi sluit Paulus se woorde aan die gelowiges in Tessalonika by Psalm 119 aan. Soos in die psalm, noem Paulus ook “ 'n blywende troos en goeie hoop”. Op die dae wanneer dit nie so goed gaan met ons “woord en daad” nie, die kere wanneer gewone alledaagse dinge in ons lewe ons moedeloos en gedaan maak, of as ons geloof self ernstig op die proef gestel word, kom God en troos en gee ons weer goeie hoop.

 

Gebed: Liewe Vader, ons is maar net klein kindertjies wat ons lewensknieë gereeld stukkend val en dan nie sonder u groot liefde en troos weer kan heel word nie. Baie dankie dat U altyd gereed is om ons te troos. Amen.