October 23. Comfort in Sorrow

"Let not your heart be troubled." John 14:1 Jesus always loves to comfort. He loves to put little candles in the darkened chambers of sorrow. He loves to dry tears — and change grief into joy. Then He is able to give comfort, because He has the comfort in Himself. We cannot give, what we have not to give. We often say to one another in trial, "Do not worry! Do not be troubled!" when we have no comfort to give, nothing to cure the worry or brighten the darkness. Standing on the ship, in the midst of a wild sea, Jesus said, "Peace! Be still!" and the winds and waves instantly became calm. He had the peace in Himself, and could give peace to the sea. It is the same with His comfort: His words of consolation are not like so many of ours; they have power to quiet the troubled heart. It was a time of the deepest grief and the sorest sorrow for the disciples, when Jesus said this. Not only were they to lose their best Friend — but they were to lose Him in the saddest way — by the shameful death of crucifixion. Nor was that all of their sorrow. They had hoped that He was the Messiah; now that hope was gone. They were in utter desolation — in a starless midnight. Surely there could be no comfort for such grief as theirs — they thought that night, as with breaking hearts they sat there in the darkness. Yet right into the midst of this despairing grief, came the words, "Let not your heart be troubled." Let us never say, therefore, that there is any, even the bitterest grief, for which there is no possible comfort. No matter how dark the night is, Christ can put stars into our sky, and bring a glorious morning after the darkness. There is comfort for Christ\