COMFORT FOOD

I have to confess that I like comfort food! When life is treating me harshly, I counter the attack by raising up a barrier of comfort food. I have discovered a defensive shield that can only be found in a good cup of coffee and several oatmeal raisin cookies. This simple pleasure seems to blunt the sharp edge of the attack and has a calming effect on me—in fact, my whole outlook on life improves.

To my great delight I found that the Bible talks rather favorably about comfort food.

“Now, Dave, don’t stray too far from orthodoxy,” some will say.

Well, unbeliever, let me prove the point to you. In Genesis 18, three angels from the Lord appear to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham, ever the gracious host, rushes to the angels and extends an invitation of hospitality to them, saying, “And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh [comfort/strengthen] your hearts” (Genesis 18:5).

So there you have it! Comfort food is validated by no less than Abraham—and witnessed to by three angels! So, why are we talking about comfort food? Because there are times when we all need comfort, to be refreshed. And, frankly, I am delighted to know that the Bible has a lot to say about comfort, because I seem to need it frequently.

Here are two passages of Scripture that speak of the ministry of comfort available to us through His Word.

“Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). The rod represents the Word and the staff represents the Holy Spirit. Both the Word and the Holy Spirit continue to be agents of comfort to us.

“That we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

Another day I will write about the Holy Spirit, the Comforter (paraklete), and one additional agent of comfort the Lord has provided for us, but today let’s think just about the comfort that the Word of God brings.

Do you have any favorite passages that encourage and minister to you each time you read them? Do you visit those passages over and over? When troubles rise up and it seems difficult to get into your regular pattern of Bible reading, do you find yourself drawn to passages that ring with familiarity?

When you begin to move toward those familiar passages, do you ever hear an accusatory voice saying, “Don’t do that, you’ve read that a hundred times. You don’t need to do that again.” That is not the voice of the Lord nor is it your own spirit talking. What you are hearing is the voice of the enemy attempting to short-circuit you. Our enemy does not want you to receive God’s comfort; he wants to keep you away from God’s provision so he lies and accuses. The enemy wants you miserable and uncomfortable so he can trick you into a mistake. Stick your finger in the enemy’s eye by going straight to the passage and letting God’s Word minister comfort and strength to you!

I have a number of passages that I go to when the heat is on. Early in my life I was deeply ministered to by Psalm 34 (especially verses 4-7) and I have gone there dozens of times over the years.

Jeremiah chapter one is the passage I was reading when God called me into His service and I have returned to drink at that well more times than I can count. I have a special affinity for both of Paul’s letters to Timothy and have read, studied and preached from both of the books over and over.

Recently I have spent a lot of time in Psalm 37 and have received great encouragement from this chapter. There are other “comfort stations” for me in the Scriptures such as Psalm 23, Psalm 91 and the first chapter of Joshua. All the passages I have referred to, and their application to me, are what I believe Paul was referring to in Romans 15:4 when he spoke of the “comfort of the Scriptures.”

While the focus of this short devotional has been on comfort, I think it fitting that we end with the understanding of why Paul penned this word in Romans 15:4:

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (King James Version).

The patience (endurance) and comfort that come to us through Scripture is that we might have hope. In a previous article I wrote at length about the biblical meaning of hope. Briefly stated, the Bible word hope has been defined as “the confident expectation that as God has worked for His people in the past, so He will again, for me!”

So that we “might have hope”!