A View From The Sycamore Tree: Detouring to Thoughts of Comfort

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Detouring to Thoughts of Comfort - 2 Cor 1

{OK - so I've actually been finished in my personal studies through the gospel of John for several months. Time has not allowed me to cut and paste any of my meditative notes from my journal to the blog. I'll get back to that eventually - maybe. In the meantime, however, I have most recently been pouring over the pages of 2 Corinthians and have been moved by so many of Paul's words. I want to take a short detour from John's gospel to Paul's epistle and pray that you will be encouraged as I have been. God's Word is glorious!}

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort;

who comforts us in all our affliction..."

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4a)

2 Corinthians just sort of landed in my lap. My normal m.o. is to study through a book, then study 10 Psalms, then head to another book. Normally I have planned out my course well in advance - this time I finished Psalm 110 and realized "Whoa, where am I heading next?"

I did what I NEVER do - I flipped my Bible open and landed in 2 Corinthians.

Staring at its pages, I thought: "Well, I haven't done an indepth study there in several years. So, why not?!" Boy, am I glad I did. Paul's words - inspired by the Holy Spirit - have been a providential proclamation to my storm tossed soul. They have been exactly what I have needed precisely when I have needed them.

Chapter 1 fell out to me on a morning that I needed to be reminded of God's mercy, comfort and purpose in our afflictions. I have never skirted around the fact that 2009 was a trying year for me. 2010 finds me being pulled out of a deep period of testing by the mercies of a God who has repeatedly proven His character to a very, very weak daughter. That is what 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 is all about.

After the salutation of grace and peace, which Paul is famous for, he flows straight into praise - which he is also famous for - and which we should pray to be enabled to emulate! His words: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort."

God is worthy of our praise - primarily because He is God! Enough said! It could end there! That sums up the bottom line of why we should bless His name. But, Paul doesn't leave us there with just an honest declaration - he makes it practical. He gives us deeply encouraging and incredibly tangible reasons for praise.

Yes, God is God - but see from these verses just what kind of God He is. Our God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is this Father of Christ whom we are to praise. It is God the Father who has loved us enough to send Jesus the Son as our Savior. This whole salvific affair was His idea. It was His doing and His orchestrating that sent Christ to save us. Is that not worthy of our deepest praise? Resounding YES!!

Secondly (as if we needed something more), this God who is the Father of our Lord Jesus is also the Father of ALL mercies! If you have received mercy it has come from God. If you need mercy God is the fount from which it must flow. And you do need mercy, as do I. We don't comprehend nearly enough just how much we need mercy! It is not "fair" that we need - or we will all find ourselves condemned to hell by a just and holy God - it is mercy that we so desperately need - marvelous mercy. Mercy to free us from our sin. Mercy to free us from our sorrow. Mercy is what we most need and mercy is what He graciously gives. He is worthy of my praise for He, the Father of Jesus, is the Father of all mercies.

Thirdly, this God who is the Father of our Lord Jesus and the Father of all mercies is also the God of all comfort. It is in God alone that I can find true rest from my arduous labors, true peace from the raging war, and true consolation from those things which so terribly weigh me down. God alone can truly bind up the wounds of my soul. God alone can fully understand what I am facing and therefore can provide for me exactly what I need. He is worthy of my praise for He is the God of ALL comfort.

Oh, friend are you disconsolate? There is a Comforter. Are you overwhelmed by guilt and plagued with despair over your sins? There is a Father of Mercies. Are you in need of help that you are incapable of providing for yourself? There is a Savior - the Lord Jesus Christ - sent by this very Father, God.

All true comforts, all true mercies, all true salvation comes from Him. Bless His name weary one it is He who mercifully comforts you in your afflictions.

Finding mercy and comfort in my Heavenly Father,

Lori

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Here We Go!

This is a blog about the goodness and grace of God, even amidst the angst of autism.

So ... how did this whole thing start?

Well, I said I'd never do this but obviously here I am. After being challenged, encouraged, goaded and double dog dared, several years ago I began to blog.

Near the end of 2008, I found myself with renewed passion for God's Word, Kingdom, and people and I was stirred, through nothing other than the simple means of grace, to a hunger and thirsting for righteousness unlike any other time in my 20+ years as a Christian.

During that period, I began typing out the things that were striking me the most in my quiet time each morning. Honestly, I started because I wanted to have a written record that I could pass along to my children one day - lettered Ebenezers reminding them of how much their Mom loves God and His Word.

While doing that I found myself so excited on certain days that I began to email my musings to some of my girl friends, hoping to encourage them even as Christ was encouraging me. Many of those gals challenged me to put these things online in a blog form so others could have access to them. That's how this site started.

Now, to shoot really straight with you, that personal "revival" of mine has pendumatically ebbed and flowed over the course of the days, months and years since 2008. For a prolonged period after that initial renewing surge I actually found myself in an utterly antithetical place. God, in His wisdom, was pleased to grant me a substantial season in the dark dungeon of "doubting castle" - those days were some of the hardest of my life post-Jesus but were providentially ordained days ultimately used for my good and for my God's glory.

"Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come" by nothing but the amazing grace of an amazing God.

I've learned that even in the midst of the darkest of days there's just something about the light of God's Word that is powerful. The Scripture has been an anchor for me in the storm surge of life. Even when my eyes have seemed to be rather veiled and my vision somewhat dimmed, there has still been a re-focusing force that has risen when I have gazed long and hard upon the Word of God. Thus, even as a saint who struggles, I continue to write of my God, my Redeemer, His promises, and His truth.

I'm not always very regular at posting here because there are many more important duties in my life right now than blog uploads - ie. being wife, mom, housekeeper, cook, taxi service, chief bottle washer, and laundry lady - along with that music thing I do as a side gig! But, as time allows I'll be cutting and pasting from Joshua and Elizabeth's future journal gift and sharing some of it with you as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Who's Doing This?

Lori Sealy is daily amazed at the grace of God in her life. Adopted as an infant and raised in an evangelical church, she rebelled against the things of Christ during high school and considered herself an atheist. Upon entering college, the God who ordains our steps ordained that her path would cross with several students who loved Christ and loved His Word. During that first year of college, she set out to destroy the faith of these young Christians. They set out to pray for her salvation.

Knowing that "faith comes through hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ," six college students daily confronted her sin and challenged her with the truths of God's glorious Word. Their obedience in proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Christ bore fruit in August of 1988 when by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, she was adopted for the second time in her life - this time into the family of God.

Lori is now the wife of Phillip Sealy. They live in Sylva, North Carolina where Phillip has been called to plant a new church for the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) - Redeemer Church Sylva. The Sealys have two children Joshua (14) and Elizabeth (12). Lori and Joshua both live with autism.

In her spare time (what little there is) Lori masquerades as a part-time songwriter/singer and performs on a limited monthly basis. Lori's newest CD, "The Strife is Over," has recently released. Hard copies of it, along with her last release "Begone Unbelief", are available through CD Baby and Lori's own website. Digital downloads are available through iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon mp3!

Be sure to visit http://www.lorisealy.com/ to learn more!

Why the Sycamore Tree?

Zaccheus, the wee little man, wanted to see Jesus and so he climbed into the sycamore tree in order to get a good look. Lori, the wee little wife and mom, longs to see Jesus as well. I realize that the place where I will catch a true glimpse of Him is in the pages of His Word.

The Bible is my sycamore tree and I find myself longing more and more to climb up into its branches that I might see Christ more clearly. This blog is simply a record of what God is teaching me as I spend time in "the tree" of His glorious Word. If anyone reads it I'll be amazed; if anyone profits from it I'll be humbled; and if anything good is found in it Soli Deo Gloria!