Today we will be looking at afflictions. It's providential that I've been meditating upon afflictions at this time. God is good in His timing and He is perfect in all His ways. I've been sustained by the prayers of the saints and by the comfort of the scriptures. So, last time we considered affliction, it was more or less an introduction into a lifelong lesson. Every one of us will suffer trials, tribulations, anything under affliction that is distress. It's all under affliction. Affliction has many things under it. It's trials, tribulations, suffering, pain, distress, depression. A lot of words come from the word affliction. So, when I speak on affliction, I am able to go to scriptures that talk about tribulation, trials. persecutions, and they all fit within that realm of the definition of that word. Of course, they do have different meanings in different contexts of the scripture. It really is a grand subject to which we can be thankful for, edified by, and glorify God in word, thought, and deed. We are told to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And that is how we gain a knowledge to walk upright in this crooked and perverse generation. Also to deal with tragedies that come our way, knowing that God is sovereign over all and that He has a purpose in all things that He does. He has an eternal purpose and He has a will that will be carried out. As I've said before in the last lesson on affliction, there are two wills that the Puritans always talked about, and one is his revealed will, which we have in the Word, and the other is his secret will, the things that are unfolding as days go by in our lives. We don't know what those are until they actually come to pass and we see them in the Scriptures as his Word unfolds. So let us prayerfully consider this blessing by God called affliction. And it is a blessing because God sends it and it works together for our good. Thomas Watson said, whoever brings affliction, it is God who sends it. Turn with me to Psalm 119.67, please. Psalm 119.67. The psalmist says here, David prays here, he says, before I was afflicted, I went astray. Many of us can experience, we have experienced that. Before we were afflicted, we went astray. In teaching a dog a new trick, well, when he doesn't do what you don't want him to do, you don't give him the treat or you tap him on his behind. You're training that dog to do what you want him to do. Now that might be a poor illustration, but the shepherd of the sheep uses what is called a rod and God uses a rod and sometimes it's called affliction, the rod of affliction. So before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I have kept thy word. Afflictions cause us to seek God's will and God's word. Afflictions cause us to seek comfort in the scriptures. For it says that God is the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our time of need, that we may in turn comfort others in their time of need. Afflictions come from God, from his word, his ways and worship. We learn these things. like a lost sheep having been afflicted with an outward and or inward afflictions, afflictions of the body and mind and family, afflictions in the soul through indwelling sin, the temptations of Satan and the hidings of God's face. All these brought him back again to God. Now, different times in David's life, he experienced all these things. And we can look into the Psalms, we can look into David's life, and we can learn from that. And those things that are written in the past are written for our learning, for our experience, that we can experience what they went through and see what happened. Like the story of Joseph is a big one, and I've told it before. But it's not just things that happened in David's life, it was things that were supposed to happen to David and his life. Because God told Moses in the covenant, which it was whether in Genesis chapter 12, 15, or 17, and what we know in 22, where Moses was called to sacrifice his son. Now is that not an affliction of mind and soul? But he was obedient to God, and he grew through that obedience when God told him to stop. And there was a ram caught in the thicket. God provided the sacrifice. God knew the end from the beginning. But Moses had to walk through that in order to learn. Now I know thou lovest me. Afflictions in soul and spirit. Afflictions of the body, mind, family. Afflictions from outward and inward. They're like conflicts of the soul. We have conflicts outward and inward, sometimes both at the same time, sometimes just outward, sometimes just inward. Sometimes afflictions come as the rod of discipline for our past sins or sins that we're going through now. Hey, wake up. You know, God gets our attention and through repentance and belief in what the God says in the scriptures, believing God, we gain that relationship back. So it's an experience that's for our good. And I brought about last time, I think we went through a lot of scriptures that taught us and a lot of teachers, I quoted out a lot of different books about afflictions come from God. And the scriptures clearly teach that. And some of us go through it. And some of us are going through afflictions right now. And we all will. And we all know somebody who's going through afflictions that we can turn and help them as as it is said that we may comfort others in their time of need. Please turn to go over to Psalm 71 1971. Psalm 119 71. It is good for me that I have been afflicted. That I might learn thy statutes. Now afflictions are good for us Because they come from a good God. When God told Joseph all the things that would happen, he didn't know that he was going to be put into prison. He didn't know that his brothers were going to hate him. And he didn't know why it was going on when he was going through it. But he continued to look to God. In the New Testament we're commanded to look unto Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endeared the cross, despising the shame, and is now set down at the right hand of the throne of God. It says, consider him who endeared such contradiction from sinners, lest ye grow weary in your minds. So if our Lord suffered many things, and we'll get to that about the sufferings of our Lord, if he endured those sufferings, be in our example, we too will endure trials and tribulations, afflictions. And so we can look to our Lord in that way and know that He suffered greatly. He suffered infinitely sufferings from the cup of the wrath of God. As well as even before that was poured out upon Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, we know that He prayed, Take this cup from me, if it be your will, yet not as I will, but as thou wilt. So that should be our prayer too. Because God has a time and a purpose in our afflictions. So it was good for me that I've been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. Now, afflictions are good for us because they come from a good God who performeth all things for us. Richard Sibbes, a Puritan writer, says affliction and poverty take away the fuel that feeds pride. Afflictions and poverty take away the fuel that feeds pride, and pride is the root of all sin. Any sin that you may think about or know about, you can attach pride to it. And what is the middle letter in sin? I. What is the middle letter in pride? I. I had an I problem one time. I was always on my mind. Now, the words of the wise are like nails the carpenter uses to fasten things together. And the words of the wise are like a goad the farmer uses to move the animals along. So affliction is like the rod uses to guide his sheep along, or to pull them back from a dangerous area, or if they keep going astray, swat them a little harder. So we too are the sheep of our shepherd, and he is the good shepherd. So, now the words of the wise are like nails that fasten things together. You can picture a carpenter, whether he's using a nail gun to fasten things together, because the pieces are wanting to just lay there by themselves and not do anything. So, as we are in affliction, we shouldn't just lay there by ourselves and do anything. The nails are like the words of the wise. We should look to God's word. That comes out of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, those particular verses there, who was the wisest man on earth besides Christ. And so we can look to that and gain knowledge on how we should be. We are not to lay there by ourselves or isolate ourselves in our affliction, but we are to do the duties of a Christian and be with the brethren, ask for prayer, seek the Lord. Now, there are times when we must be still and know that he is God. And there are times when we should just get up and rejoice that God has not cast me into hell yet or not yet, but at all. So we have mercy and we can look to that. Every one of us deserved the wrath of God. And if it weren't for Jesus Christ coming as our Savior, we would be in hell or going there. Turn with me to 2 Chronicles 33. 2 Chronicles 33, verse 10. We'll be looking at verses 10, 11, and 12. Wherefore, the Lord brought upon them captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh from among the thorns he was hiding, the king Manasseh, and bound him with fetters and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord, his God, and humbled himself greatly before the Lord of his fathers. He was in chains, in prison, and our sovereign was orchestrating all these events for his purpose. So, he humbled himself. So in affliction, it causes us to humble ourselves. Affliction destroys pride. It stomps out pride. And the scriptures tell us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt us in due time. And it's in his time, we got to look to that, that it's not in our time and it's not comfortable. It's not it's it's we don't like it. Our flesh squirms at it. And even that reminds me of reading through Thomas Manton's works on affliction. He talks about there are times in our affliction where we want out of it. And our flesh talks to us, our old man talks to us, and the devil seizes that opportunity with our sin nature and talks to us. Sometimes we don't know whether it's the devil talking to us or ourself talking to us. So as Martin Lloyd-Jones says in the book on depression, he says, do not listen to yourself. Take yourself by the shoulder and speak to yourself. Because when we listen to ourselves, our hearts are desperately wicked and deceitful above all things. Even though we're reborn again and we've been given the spirit of God, we have a mind that's being renewed according to the will of God to do the works of God. And we want to be conformed back into the image of God. And that's what the scriptures do with the Holy Spirit working in us, working in us both to will and to do according to his good pleasure. But when we listen to ourselves, that's when we find ourselves in trouble, sinking in the sand. We want to get upon the rock and hear from the word, speak the word, as David did in Psalm 42 when he was in that depressed state. Again, we look to the comfort for scriptures. We look to the comfort for direction and instruction. So what did David say in Psalm 42? He said, why are you so downcast within me, my soul? For I will yet again praise the Lord. He preached to himself the word of God and the word of God is quick and powerful. Like when God called Lazarus from the grave, the word of God commanded him to come from the grave and he couldn't do anything but come from the grave. So the word of God is powerful, especially when we preach to ourselves or to others in faith, and we leave it to God for the work to be done. So along with our friend here, Manasseh, when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord, his God. Now again, affliction causes us to do something. And as a Christian, you want to be caused to look to God. And even as an unbeliever, afflictions may be causing you to look to God. God says in Isaiah 45, he says, look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth. For I am God and there is no other. Why would we look to ourselves or to our neighbors who do not know God? We look to God who created us. It is he that has created us and not we ourselves. So he was in chains in prison. Some of us know people in prison. Some of us know people who are going to prison. Some of us know people we think should be in prison. But prison isn't a bad place. And I speak from experience. The best place for some is in prison. When God lays a man upon his back, he looks to heaven. So prison can be a great means of freedom. So we can stay with the Apostle Paul in some of these things that we can't quite comprehend how God adds and takes away. We can say with the Apostle Paul that, oh, the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his ways in his past in his ways past finding out, excuse me, for who has first given to him that it shall be repaid to him? For of him and through him and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. All things without exception. God works all things without exception according to the counsel of his own will. God works all things without exception together for our good. And that verse in Romans 8, 28, it's a big verse. Some people don't like to hear it in times of affliction, but we need to listen to God rather than ourselves. Ourselves don't want to hear it. But we need to hear it. So that verse could be translated. We can interpret that verse as God causes all things to work together for our good because he is sovereign over all things. Now, I've told I told somebody just not recently, I said, if God is not sovereign in every area, he is not sovereign in any area because sovereignty means all things. And that's a comfort to know, that's a comfortable doctrine to know. But as I said last time I spoke on affliction, we got to be careful when we speak to people who are in deep distress or affliction or anguish, the way that we talk to them and approach them. And I tried to quote Spurgeon last time and it didn't quite come out. But we know that he says, if a friend is in need, we can help if we are near. Some may need a word of comfort, others just a listening ear. So even if we're just not saying anything, being with somebody is enough to comfort them. So, and what shall we say of the prodigal son who went astray? We all remember that story. Some of us were in that story. He was sorely afflicted and ran back to his father. And what did his father do? His father rejoiced and gave him a holy hug and welcomed him home. When a Christian is strained and God causes affliction or the shepherd puts the rob to him, He runs back to the Father. He looks up. He needs the Father. We need the God. We need our God to intervene. But yet, we are blind in some areas of our life. We don't quite see things as we should. And that's part of our fallen nature. We don't always see things the way they are. So therefore, we need to be looking into the Word of God. We need to be meditating upon the Word of God. What does God say here? What does God say there? God is good all the time. And He works all things after the counsel of His own will. So we need to be meditating upon scriptures that speak to us for future events. The first thing that I did when I got a text saying that my sister had died, I bowed my head and scriptures started coming to mind. These scriptures were like our times are in His hands. And His timing is perfect. There is a time to be born and a time to die. And God is the judge, and shall not the judge of all the earth do right? It brought me comfort and peace. Although it still hurts, but still, the God of all comfort comforted me in my time of need. And the Prince of Peace visited me. So, and we call all, and we can all give stories of our Heavenly Father afflicting us and loving us at the same time, leading us to repentance. Like a father spanks his child. We're doing that for love. The child doesn't know it or think that the father's loving him at the time, but it's in love. And we want to spank that child. We want to afflict that child so that the child will learn to do right. And God is the same. God is the same. Great is our God and His greatness is unsearchable. Now, God is incomprehensible, and sometimes some people suffer and they don't know why they suffer. Beautiful Christians suffer all the time. They're God-fearing people. They're devoted to fearing the Lord, and yet they still suffer. But God has a purpose in that. We don't know. We can't comprehend God. That's why the scriptures tell us that His ways are not our ways. Now, in the context there, it's talking about people being saved and looking unto God. In Isaiah 55, 7, and 8, I believe it is. But it says that His ways are not our ways, and neither are His thoughts our thoughts. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways, and His thoughts than our thoughts. So we got to realize also that God is infinitely above all that we could ever think or imagine. But yet he condescends and comes to us with a still small voice, whether it be by a friend, a preacher, teacher, scriptures, or just the memory that you have hidden God's word in your heart. That's one of the reasons we want to memorize scripture. I tell my children, that's why we mesmerize scripture. There's coming a time when you're going to need that. Whether to speak it to somebody in need, or may God speak it to you, or you speak it to yourself. We need to have the word dwelling in us. It reminds me of a scripture in John 15, I believe it's 7 and 8, we sing this scripture. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you will. And it shall be done unto you. Next scripture sort of clarifies that that scripture says by this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit. So we should be praying for things that will bear fruit that will glorify God. So I got Psalm 1 10. Please turn with me to Psalm 10 1. So, the Scripture says, Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? The word trouble there can mean affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation, mental suffering. Our God at times seems to let the afflicted suffer alone. And they walk in darkness and have not light. They're still a Christian, but yet they're they're like blinded and they're in a cloud. They're in the darkness and they cannot see. And God is the one who is this affliction. Now, there's also we have a responsibility in our affliction, and that is at times to be still and know that he is God. We have a responsibility to seek the Lord through prayer and meditation on his word. And we have a responsibility to continue, as a Christian does, to continue to go to church, hear the preaching, the teaching, perhaps fellowship, getting counsel. You know, all these things. There's counsel in the multitude of teachers. There's counsel in a multitude of counselors. I'm sorry. And in that, Who knows? It might be that those who you might not even get along with might say something that would help you. Or they might be the one praying for you. That would be a blessing, right? To know that somebody I don't really get along with is praying for me. That should reconcile you two. So, God hides himself in times. It's through the Psalms. Some of us know it. Some of us have just heard about it. But God hides Himself and for a purpose. He withdraws the light that we may perhaps find out that we need God, perhaps to wean us from worldly things. Fanny Crosby, a great hymn writer. I think it's like whether 5,000 to 9,000 hymns she's written in her life. As a baby, she was blinded by a fake doctor. And so all her life she was blind. But look at all the good that she has done. We sing her songs today and there are beautiful hymns. So God used her even though she was in darkness physically all her life. And God never healed her. So that's another thing. We can think about that, that there are times when God does not heal. He is sovereign. He has a purpose. He has a plan. As we know, in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, where the apostle talks about one who went to the third heaven and saw things that are unspeakable. And to keep him from being exalted beyond measure, to keep his pride low, there was given to him a messenger of Satan, a thorn in the flesh. And in that, that's a Hebrelism, where like the Proverbs have a lot of them, where the top one and the second one say different things, but they both mean the same thing. The thorn in the flesh is a messenger of Satan. I would say, just my small opinion, is that that is a spiritual thing. It could have been a physical thing, too, as we sometimes hear about. But the main purpose of that is Paul is defending his apostleship in the context of the chapters from chapter 10 to 14. And he goes through there and he's defending himself against these and those and they. You'll find those words a lot in those chapters. Who is he speaking about? Well, there are those who are wanting to put his name in the mud and raise themselves up, demonic false teachers in the church, tearing the church up at Corinth. That's just a side note. Back to our study here. Let's turn to Psalm 22. Psalm 22. Our Lord spoke these words on the cross. Verse 2, He spoke in the garden. It says, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me? and from the words of my roaring. O my God, I cry in the daytime, but Thou hearest not, and in the night season, and am not silent." So this is our Savior who is God, the God-man, 100% God, 100% man. In verse 22, He's in the garden. praying to his father, if this cup, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but thy will be done, as I quoted earlier. So our Lord, who knows all things, he knew what he was facing as a man. He was about to face the wrath of God. He had to be man to die as a man, to be our substitute. He was facing the wrath of God. He was facing his friends leaving him. He was left alone. There's a lot on his mind as he's about to go to the cross in the garden when he's praying. Our suffering substitute. We'll come back to these thoughts a little later. But to think about that, that our Lord came to earth and suffered from the cradle to the cross. And we'll read about it in Hebrews, that he might be a faithful and a great high priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He went through all things that we go through and or will go through. He was tempted in every way, yet without sin. We'll come back to that a little later. But for now, consider thyself in the day of trouble. God tells us that he commands us to cry out to me in the day of trouble. And I will deliver you and you shall glorify me now again. Jesus words were not heard in that God did not take away that cup. So there are prayers that are answered and there are prayers that are not answered. But God the Father is sovereign. Our God is sovereign over all things. And He has a time and a purpose for everything under the sun. So, if her prayers were not answered in that way that He wanted it to as a man, our prayers are not always answered in the way that we want them to be as men. And we are far less. We are worms in the dust compared to our Lord. Worms in the dust. So call out to me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you and you shall glorify me. Now many of us have been through that and some of us have been delivered things. Those who have been Christian for any length of time have been delivered. God has heard our prayers. And we glorify him by telling others how God has done good things for us or for those we know. He has saved my son or my daughter, my cousin, my uncle, aunt. There's a lot of prayers that have been answered. And by that, we glorify God by thanking Him, by rejoicing in Him. And we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that way. We grow in knowing that God is good and that He does hear prayers. And He will answer them in His time. Or He won't answer them because it's not His will. So therefore, we submit. Submit yourself under the mighty hand of God. Be still and know that He is God. He will be exalted in the earth and among the heathen. He shall deliver in his time. Remember that God is infinitely higher than we worms of the dust. But that promises to deliver us out of the ash heap. His timing is perfect. His wisdom is exceedingly high above the heavens. In the book of Job, this is talked about, it says, Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is high as heaven. What canst thou do? Deeper than hell. What canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. Matthew Henry says, Thou poor weak-sighted creature, a worm of the earth, Thou art but of yesterday. Thou, though ever so inquisitive after him, ever so desirous and industrious to find him out, yet darest thou attempt to search, or canst thou hope to speed in it? We can see the ocean, but cannot see over it." So what this tells us is God's ways are higher than ours. He is infinite in all His ways, in all that He is. His wisdom is infinite. He knows what's best. He knows the end from the beginning. I know that I'm repeating some of these things, but they're needful to hear. Let's keep it in our hearts, for we will need it again. So, Hebrews 12, 12. Please turn there with me. Hebrews 12, 12. Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down. Now afflictions, some people bend under afflictions sooner or later than others, and some afflictions are harder and longer than others. Right? And so, this scripture speaks to us. Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way. But let it rather be healed. Now, I brought Brother Barnes in here to help us understand that. He can speak it more clearly than I was able to in my words. He says, taking courage and resolution may do much. However, the hands which hang down and the feeble knees to make them firm. And it is to this that the apostle exhorts those to whom he wrote. They were to make every effort to bear up under their trials. The hope of victory will do much to strengthen the almost exhausted one in battle. The desire to reach home invigorates the frame of the weary traveler. So it is with the Christian in affliction and sickness and bereavement. he may be ready to sink under his burdens. The hands fall, the knees tremble, the heart sinks within us. But confidence in God and hope in heaven, hope of heaven, and the assurance that all this is for our good will reinvigorate the enfeebled frame and enable us to bear what was once supposed would crush us to the dust. A courageous mind braces a feeble body As our brother said a while ago, I quoted him, the courageous mind embraces that body. The mind grabs the body by the shoulders and says, listen to me, and he preaches to him. The spirit man preaches to the old man, kicks him back in the grave. Because if we just lay down and wallow in the mud, We're going nowhere. We do have a responsibility to stand up and fight as soldiers of the Lord. So take hold of the great and precious promises of our gracious God. To us, his dear children, he calls us his dear children. For God so loved us that he gave his only begotten son. that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." God has done so much for us. How shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? He gave up His Son. Shall He not do the lesser and help us in our time of need? Pick us up and carry us as a shepherd does a lamb? Or a mother does her child? Christian, What is weighing you down? Where are you, man of courage? Let us keep looking unto Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endeared the cross. He was in affliction, he was in suffering most of his days, but he looked ahead to the cross as the weary Christian in this pilgrimage looks to heaven. There is an eternal home. There is a rest that we are heading to. We got to cross the river and get into Canaan, the land of rest filled with milk and honey. All these things point to a spiritual reality that is true. And we should gain comfort through the scriptures in these ways. For consider him that endeared such contradiction. I know I quoted my notes. Lest you be wearied in your minds and faint in your minds that the that word consider there Consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners, lest you grow, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds. That word consider means to think over, ponder, yes, meditate upon those things that are true, pure, right and lovely. Christ is true, pure, right and lovely. Let's meditate upon Christ our Lord in fine comfort, knowing that he went through worse things than we. And if we are His, He says, unless you take up your cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciples. We all have a cross to bear. We all have thorns in the flesh. My thorn isn't your thorn. Your thorn doesn't even look like Mine. I don't even know you have a thorn. But we all have thorns in the flesh that will not be removed until the time of God. and His righteousness will bring us home. Then there will be rejoicing. There will be fullness of comfort and peace and rest. So meditate upon these things. Please turn back with me to Psalm 22, 1 and 2. Psalm 22, 1 and 2. And again, I want us to remember these words. We're going through them again, one more time. Oh my God. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why hast thou far from helping me? And from the words of my roaring. That's our Lord upon the cross. Now, these are the very words uttered by our Savior went on the cross. Much could be said here, but time would fail for me to tell of the infinite sufferings of our Lord on behalf on our behalf. Suffice to say, do not think it strange that these afflictions which befall us. For they are for our good, as what he was going through was for our good also. In 22, oh, my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not. And in the night season, I am not silent. Hear our Lord in the garden praying with deep, deep agony of soul. Matthew 26, 38 says, Then he saith unto them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Terry here you here and watch with me. He wanted his friends with him as he was going through this agony as he prayed to the father as he sweat great drops of blood as it were blood. And he prayed, Oh, my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as that will. If it be possible, let this cup pass. So we pray too. If it be possible, Lord, remove this thorn. Yet not my will, but thy will be done. That thorn is for our good, as it was for Apostle Paul. And his grace is sufficient to enable us to carry us through. His grace is sufficient for us to continue on in this pilgrimage. The present season and time of distress and horror, all that is future sufferings and death, which were at hand together with the burying of the sins of the people. This is John Gill speaking here, the endearing of the curse of the law and the wrath of God, all which were ingredients in and made up of this dreadful, bitter cup, end quote. So, Christian, when we walk into the valley of the shadow of death, let us not fear any evil. Now, that particular verse is quoted or read in funerals, but it doesn't really have to do anything with a funeral setting. In the context, in the environment in which they were, there was places that they would walk through. Even in the middle of the day, the sun was not shining in some of these canyons that their trails went through. There were robbers and wild beasts. There were all kinds of things, and they called that the valley of death, the valley of the shadow of death, because they're in there and they can't see and it's dangerous to get there, but they got to go through it. Like we got to go through it. We got to go through it. So let us not be weary. When we walk through the valley of the shadow of dust, let us not fear any evil, for the Lord is with us, just as he was in the fiery furnace with the three Hebrews. He was with them, and the fire did not burn them, nor did they even smell like smoke when they got up. It is good when we are afflicted from the God of our salvation, who daily loadeth us with benefits. Our affliction is a very beneficial rod that God uses. Let us take courage. Let us be comforted. They strengthen us. They conform us. They conform us into the image of Christ. They wean us from worldly things to help the next guy. Comfort those with the comfort that you have been comforted with. I've been through this. Let me tell you how I got help or pray with them. The Puritan writer Thomas Manton said, while all things are quiet and comfortable, We live by sense rather than faith. But the worth of a soldier is never known in times of peace. We are soldiers of the Lord. Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord, that we are able to hear your word. We thank you that you speak to us in ways that are comforting, in ways that we need to be heard.