How to Comfort God (5 min read)
Earlier this week, on the day that many are observing Tisha B'Av (a recognized day of mourning on the Jewish calendar), I had a spiritual encounter. I woke up at 3:29 am with horrible images and sounds flooding my mind. I asked myself, why are these things in my head? And I rebuked them. Then I felt a flash of red rage go through me. I immediately went into prayer.
I asked the Father what was going on and felt an immediate response. His heart was grieved at the horrible things that are happening right now. Not just those things that are now being done in the public eye, but also and especially those things happening in private.
Then I heard, “I will not strive with mankind forever.”
Immediately, I asked the Father, “What can I do? How do I comfort one as great as you?”
My heart was troubled throughout the day and I couldn't shake the feeling. I was so disturbed that I even googled the question, “How can we comfort God?”
What I found were pages on how we can receive comfort FROM God, but nothing specifically detailing how we, as a people or as an individual, can comfort the lover of our souls.
So, to believe that our Heavenly Father needs comforting we first must ask the question, “Does God even suffer? Do we humans, have the ability to hurt the Creator? Does He even have emotions like we do?”
There are several bible references indicating that we are able and do grieve God. (Psalms 78:40, Hosea 11:8, Matt 26:37). There are many, many other references in the Old and New Testament that indicate His ability to feel and express emotion.
First the entire bible itself affirms His great compassion and sympathy for us. When we are afflicted, He also feels afflicted (Isaiah 63:9, Jeremiah 8:18-19). The sending of Yeshua/Jesus, our Messiah, is proof of His great compassion and love towards us.
We also know that He has regrets. In Genesis 6:6, he repented from making humans. In I Samuel 15:10-11, he repented (regretted) for making Saul King. In Exodus 32:14, he repented to Moses for thinking to do "evil" to the Israelites who He rescued from Egypt and Moses changed His mind.
Now, we know YHVH is sinless, so how could He repent. This word "repent" means the turning away from something. He had a regret and changed His mind on a course of action He chose. In these scenarios, we see that Abba was grieved by the entire human race, by a specific individual and a specific individual caused Him to repent from doing harm to a people. Obviously, Abba has the capacity to feel regret.
As for other emotions we know that Yeshua/Jesus and the Father are united as one (John 10:30) and we know our Messiah felt anger (Mark 3:5), sadness (John 11:35), and He also suffered temptation (Hebrews 2:18).
So, yes, He does have emotions. Yes, He can feel grief and regret, and therefore can also be comforted.
So how can “we” comfort God?
Repentance: The first step must start with heartfelt repentance and this repentance must start with the church. The church must repent because we, as the ecclesia, have some responsibility for the state of the world. We have permitted the moral decline of our society and have even welcomed sin into the church. (click here to see the Prayer of Repentance).
It is appropriate to say "I'm sorry" whenever there is a wrong or an offense made in a relationship. To go one step further and turn away from ever doing that wrong again is repentance.
One need not look very far to see all the great offenses happening today. There must be a groaning that comes forth from us, the body of Messiah. A groaning that comes from grief for allowing the atrocities that are happening today. A deep regret for allowing the degradation of our society and a turning away from those things.
We Must Mature: We, as individuals and as the church, must let go of some childish ways. This, my friend, must be the next step in the spiritual maturation of the church. As a child we thought and acted as a child. A child is self-centered, and that is acceptable... for a child. They are young and their universe is just starting to expand. In the beginning their lives revolve around getting their physical and emotional needs met. But children eventually grow up and out-grow selfish ambitions.
We were created that way. We are even encouraged to approach our Heavenly Father, as little children. To seek Him for provision of our needs and even our wants, but as with the natural order of things, we must grow up and allow our universe to expand to include more than just us and our needs.
Looking at the state of the world, it appears that mankind has NOT yet reached this level of maturity. The world right now seems to be stumbling around like selfish children having temper tantrums and demanding their own way.
Just looking at the divorce statistics of believers is proof that the church has still not yet reached this level of maturity.
For our race to survive, we must mature! We must stop grieving our Creator. We must think about the welfare of this planet, of our brothers and sisters and of our Heavenly Father. Which leads me to the next way we can comfort YHVH.
Care For Others: One way we can comfort our Creator is by comforting His people and easing their sufferings we also ease the suffering of our Creator, YHVH and our Messiah. (Matthew 25:40).
This is the back-bone of the A.M.E.N. Home. It is about building community with others. A loving community that would support each other through good times and difficult times.
Cultivate the Relationship: Have you ever tried to comfort someone you don't have a relationship with? It's not very effective usually, is it.
We must have a relationship with Him. Our Heavenly Father yearns for relationship with us, for friendship, like He had in the early days in the garden with Adam, then later with Enoch, David and Moses. To walk with Him daily like Enoch (Genesis 5:22).
By the way, this is Enoch's claim to fame...he walked with YHVH. Like Lazarus, who hung out around his dining room table with our Messiah, Enoch was a friend.
King David was also considered a favorite human because he adored YHVH. He sought after YHVHs heart (I Samuel 13:14). He wrote Him songs and sang to Him (like my very own David does).
Moses, wanted to know YHVH and His ways (Exodus 33:13). Moses would hang out on the mountain with YHVH and just talk with Him. He even pleaded with YHVH to let him see His face. Starting to see a pattern here?
Like us, Abba loves to spend time with His friends, which leads me to my fifth point.
Spend Time with Him: So, we can be a comfort to Him by just “Being” with Him.
Recently, David, my husband, taught in the broadcast “The Lord’s Table”, that sometimes, our Lord just wants to “BE” with His people, without being drawn on all the time.
Again, we are to come to Him as little children. He wants to be our Yehovah Yireh (our provider) and our Yehovah Rapha (our healer). He wants us to be dependent upon Him. Yeshua said that unless we are willing to become as little children, we will not enter into the Kingdom of God, Amen?
We, as the ecclesia, church, must realize that our Abba has needs too, though. He created us for companionship. He longs for a relationship with us. But as with any relationship, where one party is doing all the taking and the other is doing all the giving, this grows old and tiresome. Without growth, that relationship will end.
So, as I was pondering how I could possibly comfort the Creator of the Universe. I remembered a little sparrow that my little brother, Rob, rescued when I was a teenager. (You can read this story in the blog, “You Have Been Set Free”.)
I remembered a picture of my Father snoozing in a chair, with hat and coat on, as he waited for the rest of the family to get ready for an outing. As he snoozed in this chair, Tweety, our rescued sparrow snuggled in the nape of his neck. He slept, but she was awake and was keeping watch. Affectionately she would occasionally preen his sideburns or hair as if she were stroking it, but other than that, she was just “being” with him.
When I approached my Dad, to let him know we were ready to go, she scolded me and threatened to bite me. She fiercely guarded him, allowing him to rest and, in a sense, provided comfort to him in doing so. What a comfort she was to us and what a precious memory.
Imagine, curling up in the nape of your Abba’s neck, or laying your head upon His chest, listening to His heartbeat...just being with Him. Not asking anything, not requiring anything, just being with Him. Imagine the peace in that; imagine the "comfort" to Him in that.
This is the heart of the A.M.E.N. home. It is a place where people can come and do life together. It is a place where people and God can come fellowship and “Be” together.
So, as we prepare to enter our weekly rest, will you join me today in this decree?
Today, I want to guard my Abba.
I want to fiercely protect Him, comfort Him and help Him rest.
I want to see His face, stroke His hair, and make Him feel loved.
Today, I will strive to just spend time seeking my Abba’s face and not just His hands.
Today, all I want to do is come and worship Him.
You can watch this message on YouTube. Click here to see the rebroadcast of this special message.
Blessings and Shalom,
Denise Salinas
7/30/2020
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