Afflictions and Adversities: Consolation In

Then God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “What is wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he lies.

Now the angel of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Shur. …

So Isaac left that place and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.

So he called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the city is Beersheba.

If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”

The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.

I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me and said: I have surely attended to you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.

And I have promised to bring you up out of your affliction in Egypt, into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’

But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’

You save an afflicted people, but Your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.

For distress does not spring from the dust, and trouble does not sprout from the ground. …

For you will forget your misery, recalling it only as waters gone by. …

But I would encourage you with my mouth, and the consolation of my lips would bring relief.

I chose their course and presided as chief. So I dwelt as a king among his troops, as a comforter of the mourners.

…if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a cloak, …

But no one asks, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives us songs in the night,

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be held high above my enemies around me. At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.

For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.

I will be glad and rejoice in Your loving devotion, for You have seen my affliction; You have known the anguish of my soul.

I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all.

He protects all his bones; not one of them will be broken.

The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.

Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.

Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, and seek to slay them,

…the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned under judgment.

The LORD will sustain him on his bed of illness and restore him from his bed of sickness.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.

For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”

Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.

You have taken account of my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle—are they not in Your book? …

For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. In God alone my soul finds rest; my salvation comes from Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress; I will never be shaken.

Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him. …

God has spoken once; I have heard this twice: that power belongs to God,

…and loving devotion to You, O Lord. For You will repay each man according to his deeds.

God settles the lonely in families; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.

Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found no one.

For the LORD listens to the needy and does not despise His captive people.

Though You have shown me many troubles and misfortunes, You will revive me once again. Even from the depths of the earth You will bring me back up.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Unless the LORD had been my helper, I would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence. …

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.

Light dawns in the darkness for the upright—for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.

This is my comfort in affliction, that Your promise has given me life.

I remember Your judgments of old, O LORD, and in them I find comfort.

Your statutes are songs to me in the house of my pilgrimage.

If Your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction.

Trouble and distress have found me, but Your commandments are my delight.

On the day I called, You answered me; You emboldened me and strengthened my soul.

If I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve me from the anger of my foes; You extend Your hand, and Your right hand saves me.

The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me. O LORD, Your loving devotion endures forever—do not abandon the works of Your hands.

I know that the LORD upholds justice for the poor and defends the cause of the needy.

The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech, but a righteous man escapes from trouble.

Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter.

…a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and the rain.

Wail, O gate! Cry out, O city! Melt away, all you Philistines! For a cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there are no stragglers in its ranks.

What answer will be given to the envoys of that nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, where His afflicted people will find refuge.”

For You have been a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like rain against a wall,

O people in Zion who dwell in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will surely be gracious when you cry for help; when He hears, He will answer you.

The Lord will give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, but your Teacher will no longer hide Himself—with your own eyes you will see Him.

“Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.

“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her forced labor has been completed; her iniquity has been pardoned. For she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.”

He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

For I am the LORD your God, who takes hold of your right hand and tells you: Do not fear, I will help you.

Do not fear, O Jacob, you worm, O few men of Israel. I will help you,” declares the LORD. “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; break forth in song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, and He will have compassion on His afflicted ones.

The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

For the LORD will comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and melodious song. …

Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; do not be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated. For you will forget the shame of your youth and will remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.

“O afflicted city, lashed by storms, without solace, surely I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires.

…and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners, …

In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

You who tremble at His word, hear the word of the LORD: “Your brothers who hate you and exclude you because of My name have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified that we may see your joy!’ But they will be put to shame.”

As a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you, and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”

When you see, you will rejoice, and you will flourish like grass; then the hand of the LORD will be revealed to His servants, but His wrath will be shown to His enemies.

Then the maidens will rejoice with dancing, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into joy, and give them comfort and joy for their sorrow.

…for I will refresh the weary soul and replenish all who are weak.”

But I will deliver you on that day, declares the LORD, and you will not be delivered into the hands of the men whom you fear.

For I will surely rescue you so that you do not fall by the sword. Because you have trusted in Me, you will escape with your life like a spoil of war, declares the LORD.’”

For the Lord will not cast us off forever. …

You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not be afraid.”

Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries to which they have gone.’

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her and lead her to the wilderness, and speak to her tenderly.

There I will give back her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds. …

The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.

“I will gather those among you who grieve over the appointed feasts, so that you will no longer suffer reproach.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. …

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. …

And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him.

“Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”

…for they all saw Him and were terrified. But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. …

When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, “Do not weep.”

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Yet not even a hair of your head will perish.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well.

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.

If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.

Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.

Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was fervently praying to God for him.

The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome.”

And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, …

And our hope for you is sure, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you will share in our comfort.

We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; …

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.

But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.

Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

…because I know that through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, my distress will turn out for my deliverance.

Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. …

…and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who by grace has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope,

…encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good word and deed.

…if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.

Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,

…and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin.

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Thus by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. …

Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Brothers, as an example of patience in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps: …

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you. …

Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Wake up and strengthen what remains, which is about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God.

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

“Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. …