“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid…for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV

As the end of her life approached, my daughter, Michele reached for the scriptures to give her spiritual and emotional comfort. How brave and in control she was as she prepared for her last days here on earth. We celebrated her thirty-eighth birthday just two weeks prior to her death. In those two weeks Michele planned her funeral; the music, songs, scriptures. We spent many hours talking about seeing Jesus and what heaven would be like. She had the time to prepare.

When her pain was intolerable we repeated the twenty-third Psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…He restoreth my soul…Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; they rod and thy staff they comfort me…and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Excerpts from Psalm 23 KJV) We prayed the Lord’s Prayer repeatedly. “Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven…” (Excerpts from Matthew 6:9-10 KJV) We were comforted by the Word of God.

Last week a neighbor of ours was found lifeless on his lawn where he had been tidying up his yard from the falling leaves. Although he was in his September years his death came without notice or warning. To my knowledge he was a Christian; his outlook and behavior reflected such. Being in my seventh decade, I cannot help but reflect on my own demise. Am I prepared?

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NASB (New American Standard Bible)

“…set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things…” (Excerpts from Colossians 3:1-2 NIV) Of course it is impossible not to think of earthly things. After all, we must attend to the day to day activities that encompass our lives. To set your heart and mind on things above means to keep this as a central focus, your heart’s central focus. As we engage in our jobs, family and friends, community we are to do so in His word, His service and His praise.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NIV

The promise of spiritual blessings is available to believers in Christ. This is a truth that stands throughout the ages. God is with us; in us. It is innate to human nature to look to a higher power; Christians look to the Lord.

“Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them who are in any trouble, by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4 KJV

We are comforted so that we may become comforters. Having spiritual comfort is not to say you will have no trials. It is to say spiritual comfort gives us the strength to face our problems. You don’t just sit with your hands folded in your lap and wait for comfort to come. This strength comes from staying in His Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in problem solving, discernment and wisdom.

Margaret Feinberg wrote, “God knows your need to be comforted. He knows you need to be reminded regularly you are not alone or forgotten. You need a pick-me-up. You need to be held. You need to be encouraged. God gives of Himself to comfort you.”

LORD, as we face the storms of life and as we face impending death give us spiritual comfort. We know YOU are our strength and refuge if only we turn to YOU. Thank YOU for loving us. In JESUS name I pray, Amen.