In my previous post, we took a closer look at the difficult reality of suffering—how it tests us and how hope can lift us beyond our pain. This time, I want to explore comfort, which I believe is the healing response to suffering. While suffering pulls us through pain and distress; comfort is relief from that pain. It’s an expression of love that satisfies, strengthens, and brings a quiet sense of well-being. I believe comfort is what truly enables us to face hardship, to heal our broken hearts, and to rediscover peace.

The Tragedy of an Uncomforted Heart
When we are not comforted it's a tragedy and one that is so aptly described by Solomon. 

Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed - and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors - and they have no comforter. And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 NIV)

Many people face life feeling like this, carrying the weight of loss or trauma without receiving any comfort. We grieve or mourn and are not comforted. We feel abandoned, rejected, sick, wounded, broken; without comfort we carry these burdens which begin to feel immovable. In contrast, true comfort comes as an expression of love that soothes our pain and lifts the trauma out of our heart.

The Power of True Comfort
We need a level of comfort that is deep enough to heal trauma and strong enough to support us through hardship. Comfort, in its fullness, reaches down beneath our pain and gently brings it up to the surface, giving it space to be acknowledged and eventually released. Only this kind of comfort frees us from distress; without it, we remain unhealed, carrying the weight of our struggles indefinitely. This is not the Father's plan, he wants us to be comforted and to go on receiving comfort. 

In John 14 Jesus promises us this comfort as he says he will send another 'helper' (often translated another 'comforter'). He's talking about the Holy Spirit who has come and is with us forever. 

Paul shows us the importance of being comforted when he writes:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7 NIV). 

Paul experiences this first hand when the Corinthians send Titus to visit him in Macedonia. Paul is clearly having a bad time and his friend comes to visit - that in itself is comforting but Paul emphasises it is not only Titus' comfort but also that which has been sent from the church in Corinth through Titus (2 Corinthians 7:5-7). Comfort is powerful, it brings healing and it reliefs us from the pain and heartache of our sufferings. 

Allowing Ourselves to be Comforted
​When we allow ourselves to be comforted our heart undergoes a major transformation. We shy away from being comforted because it's often considered a weakness or we are afraid of making ourselves too vulnerable. We're taught to bear our burdens and press on through them, the implication being that if we try hard enough we can overcome. We forget the words of Jesus who tells us that he is the overcomer and it is because of this that we can have peace (John 16:33). 

Isaiah paints a beautiful picture of the profound transformation that takes place when God comforts His people:

The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. (Isaiah 51:3 NIV)

Those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. “I, even I, am he who comforts you. (Isaiah 51:11 NIV)

What has been a desert becomes a beautiful garden. Sadness and sorrow give way to joy and gladness. Our heart is brought home and therefore to a place of rest and peace. This is what we long for. It's what we try and find through all sorts of other ways but are often frustrated. A comforted heart is what we have been searching for, what we long for yet only find as we are comforted by the comforting love of the Father.

A Comforted Heart Brings Strength
In times of suffering, trauma, or loss, what we need is comfort. It might not change our circumstances, but it changes our heart. This inner transformation gives us strength, enabling us to face life’s trials with the assurance that God, in His love and compassion, is always by our side. He is, after all, the Father who comforts us in all our troubles.

So as we walk through our hardships, may we open our hearts to this comfort. Only then can we find the peace and strength we’ve been searching for all along. It is then that we experience God being a Father to us. 

I feel I need to start off with a warning: this post may be challenging for some as it may bring up the pain of the suffering you are currently walking through or have walked through previously. Nonetheless I encourage you to read to the end as there is hope. It is hope that we need to find and hold onto as that is when we find the Father is with us, even in our suffering and pain.

The dictionary helpfully defines suffering as "undergoing pain, distress or hardship" and I'm sure it's something that is familiar to all of us to some degree. 

Suffering is related to loss and its associated trauma. We lose a loved one, a job, a relationship maybe even our dreams or ambitions. These are all real and affect us deeply. Often these are one-off events that hit us hard - we go through suffering because of these losses. Then there are the ongoing sufferings that are often with us for a much longer period of time: health issues, finances, struggles at work, persecution, rejection, our families. All things that wear us down as they can drag on for long periods of time. 

What do we do with our suffering? Do we pretend it's not there, maybe we try to avoid it, often we sink under it or we might even feeling like giving up. 

Let's be honest, our sufferings are very real, they drain our energy and we feel like we are carrying a very heavy weight. 

In Romans 8:18 the apostle Paul makes a statement which we could see as being quite discouraging. "I consider our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us". Really! In a way, though, that helps put them in perspective. It is possible to look beyond our suffering to the glory which will be revealed in us. Now, I don't pretend that is either easy or pain free. We can't pretend our suffering is not there, or that it doesn't exist as that would be unreality. What Paul encourages us to do is recognise and embrace our suffering but look beyond it with the eye of faith to see a better day. This is not blind optimism but an acknowledgment that we have a good Father who is always in control.

We have what I call the 'magnet of hope'. We read this in Romans 5.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not  disappoint, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)

We do not place our hope in our own strength or ability. We do not place our hope in other people. We do not place our hope in wishful thinking. We place our hope in our Heavenly Father. Yes, our suffering will take perseverance, it will change our character but as we hold onto him we discover that hope will not disappoint because God is constantly pouring his love in our heart by the Holy Spirit. His love for us which is unchanging and unending is the only thing that will carry us through our season of suffering. That certainty is what enables us to look over and beyond the suffering we experience. This is the rock on which we may build our lives - he is always with us.

We can look at the life of Paul in 2 Corinthians 11 and 12. He was not exempt from suffering and neither are we. Sadly, we live in a fallen, broken world where we experience the stuff of life. It exhausts us, it wears us out, it drains our energy but it does not need to overwhelm us. Let's seek the Godly perspective which looks beyond our trials and tribulations and relies on the never-ending love of the Father. 

At the end of Job's story we see that he has an encounter with God. His 'friends' try and tell him his suffering is a result of his sin. So, if he would simply repent all would be ok! That's not the point of the story, it wasn't Job's sin that robbed him of everything so precious to him. Through his suffering he has an encounter with God where he sees God's goodness and greatness. The circumstances didn't immediately change but Job knew and experienced that he was not alone in his sufferings. God was with him. 

For us, too, when we suffer we do not go through them on our own. Our Father is with us. In fact he wants to carry us through them, just as a father carries a child (Deut 1:31). He wants to be the weight bearer rather than us. 

We saw the definition of suffering earlier. What's the opposite? It's comfort which brings relief from pain, distress or hardship. Comfort strengthens us within and gives us a supernatural sense of well being or quiet enjoyment. In whatever suffering you are going through, ask the God of ALL comfort to comfort you in ALL your troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

Suffering is real and affects us all. Let's put our hope in our Father and allow him to comfort us. Let's have a divine hope that enables us to see beyond the suffering we experience. Let us be assured of his constant love for us which is the only thing that sustains our hope. Let's know he is with us in the midst of our suffering. 

Let me end with the words of Jesus:

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

He has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. 

We probably all know 1 John 3:1 "see what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is who we are."

It's a very rich verse. Whatever we feel about ourselves, whether we believe we are loveable or not, is irrelevant to how the Father sees us. We may lack self worth, suffer from self doubt, feel rejected or even unloveable. We may feel unworthy, second class or only too aware of our failings and short-comings. All of which sow doubt into our heart about how, or even if, the Father loves us. 

Any doubts we may have are completely swept away by this verse. We are loved simply because God is our Father and we are his children. 

It's no ordinary love. The NIV refers to it as "great love" whilst the ESV invites us to examine what "kind of love" it is. This is not human love which is tainted by our background and experience. This is a love which has existed from before the beginning of time. As Jeremiah says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). 

A bit further on in John's letter he tells us more of what this great love is like. 

It is sacrificial (1 John 3:16). As Christ laid down his life for us so we should lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. Love, John says, is shown not only in our words but more importantly through our actions. 

This love is totally reliable (1 John 4:16). We can depend on it as it does not originate in us but rather in the eternal, unchanging nature and character of our Father. 

It's a love that makes us secure as it deals with one of our greatest struggles. Fear. Fear paralyses us, destroys our peace and raises a lot of questions we feel we need answers to, yet they are answers we may never find. Love drives all fear away and brings us into the Father's embrace which is a place of safety and security. Despite what may be going on around us, when we know we are loved we feel secure. Love comes, fear goes. 

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul tells us more about this great love. It is patient, kind, not boastful or proud, it honours, it seeks the good of others, it is not angry, it does not keep a record of wrong, it believes in others. it is strong and it never fails. This is the kind of love that John is talking about. 

One thing I noticed when recently reading 1 Corinthians 13 is that it says we "have" love. We don't primarily "do" love. Yes, of course, we are to be loving and caring but I believe this chapter is principally talking about receiving. In fact, in this context the word 'have' means to receive, contain or even be possessed by. We are called to be possessed by love, it is indeed the most excellent way. 

As John tells us in his first letter, any love we have is a reflection and consequence of the love we have received. We can only love because we have first received love (1 John 4:19). 

We must never let ourselves think that we are loved purely because of our behaviour, achievements or actions. Such love would be conditional. The Father's love for us is completely unconditional. It is dependent not on us but solely on him and who he is (1 John 4:16). 

Pause for a moment and imagine the love the Father has for his Son, Jesus. Imagine the intensity and intimacy of his love and that relationship. 

The good news is that is exactly the same love with which we are loved. We read these words in John 17:26: "I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

One final comment in closing. Returning to 1 John 3:1, the NIV tells us that this love is lavished on us simply because we are God's children. Lavish is an incredibly generous word. It's not a trickle but a never ending cascade of love being poured into our heart by the Holy Spirit. 

What's left to say other than allow yourself to be lavished (or saturated) by this great love. It will truly change your life!

Jesus has the unique ability of not only seeing the condition of the human heart but also being able to address it in succinct statements. Such statements do not condemn, rather they bring life. 

We read one of these statements in John 14. Jesus is with his disciples for one last meal before he is taken away to the cross. He spends the evening re-iterating who he is, why he came to earth and the amazing change that is about to take place through his death and resurrection. He looks at them and says "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18). 

He sees his disciples as orphans. Now, we have to understand that he is not talking about their human state or their relationship with their parents. Nor is he purely talking to them; he is talking to us and about us as well. He looks at the state of our heart and sees our fallen humanity, the consequence of that first sin in the garden. He sees our independence and how we have stepped outside of the Father's love and chosen to follow the great deceiver. 

At this point let me pause and consider what an orphan is. I've travelled to Uganda many times and seen countless orphans, often rejected by society and forced to live on the streets. It is totally heart-breaking. I've also seen many ex-street children. Children who have found a home and a way through the pain and rejection of being abandoned. Such scenes of redemption are beautiful. 

An orphan is unloved, without parents, without a home and therefore no sense of identity or belonging. The life of an orphan is an empty one: they have lost everything that a child should receive. They feel they are nobody because of the emptiness of their heart. 

An orphan is empty. Devoid of love and consequently they have to fight to make a name for themselves and fight for everything they need. Life, for an orphan, is a struggle and one that many people fail to find a way out of. 

That's the condition of the human heart which Jesus identifies in his disciples and, by the way, in you and me as well. He primarily identifies a deep spiritual need that only he can fix. 

Thankfully, we are not left as orphans, he has come to us. Jesus promises a way out of the emptiness and loneliness of our orphan heart. We were never meant to live as orphans but as children of God (John 1:12). 

What do we do when something is empty? We seek to fill it. 

That's what an orphan heart needs. It needs to be filled with the thing it lacks. It needs to be filled with love. 

As you will have noticed, I refer to an 'orphan heart' rather than an 'orphan spirit'. I do that deliberately as it is our heart that needs to receive and contain love. The only way we will see orphan hearts being redeemed is through love. An orphan needs to be loved and go on receiving love until such a time as the pain and rejection has been healed. Something we all need as there continue to be some orphan-hearted ways in each of us. This is not a one-off event but a new way of living. 

Jesus identifies the state of the human heart and shows the way of redemption. "I will come to you", "I will send another Counsellor (or Comforter) to help you and to be with you for ever" (John 14:16). This Counsellor (or Comforter) is the Holy Spirit who is not only with us but also within us (John 14:17). 

In 1 John 4:16 we read that God is love. The very nature, character and personality of the Father is love. Paul tells us that this love (the whole of God's nature) is being poured into our heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). He does not pour his love into our mind in the hope that it might drop into our heart. No, he pours his love directly into our heart. It is in our heart that all meaningful and deep relationships live, it is the place of encounter and intimacy. It is our heart that is transformed by the power of his love; a transformed heart will lead to a renewed mind. As our heart is transformed the emptiness, lostness, lack of identity and belonging can be satisfied in the only way possible. By the unconditional love of the Father. 

We primarily need an encounter with the Holy Spirit to show us that we are no longer orphans. It is through this encounter that we are able to satisfy the eternal desire of the Father's heart which we read about in Jeremiah 3:19. We can turn to him and call him 'Father' because that's who he is (I thought you would call me 'Father'). In doing so, we step into our true identity (how gladly would I treat you as sons), we find our true home (and give you a pleasant land) and are able to receive our inheritance (the most beautiful inheritance of any nation). 

The Holy Spirit is therefore a bridge between us and the Father. In fact, I like to refer to him as an elastic bridge! He is joined to the Father and he becomes joined to us. He then draws us closer and closer to the Father so that we take our place in Christ, at the side or bosom of the Father (John 1:18). Instead of the emptiness of an orphan we take our place as beloved sons and daughters of the Father. The very thing he has always desired (Ephesians 1:4). 

It's the Holy Spirit that enables us to walk in the Father's ways (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Too often we try to walk in his ways in the frailty of our human strength or ability. We fail because it's not about our effort. It's the result of us walking in the Spirit. As we walk in the Spirit we are caused or motivated to walk in his ways, to discover the path of sonship. An orphan can't do that, only a son or daughter can. 

Finally, let me mention the 'love sandwich' of 1 Corinthians chapters 12 to 14. These are passages we know well as they stress the necessity and importance of the gifts of the Spirit. I agree! They are vital and we need to see more of them, so 'yes' we should eagerly desire them. Yet Paul says there is a 'more excellent way'. It's the way of love which is the filling to the sandwich in chapter 13. This is the 'most excellent way' (1 Corinthians 12:31) and the one we should make our goal or greatest aim (1 Corinthians 14:1 AMP). 

It is through our constant encounters with the Holy Spirit that our orphan heart can be redeemed. It is through our constant encounters with the Holy Spirit that we discover we are loved and are truly God's children (1 John 3:1). It is as we walk in sonship that the fruit of the Spirit will grow in our lives and the gifts of the Spirit will be released through us. Let us pursue this 'most excellent way' with all our heart.

"I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and that I myself may be in them" (John 17:26).

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." (Isaiah 55:1)

Here is an offer that is hard to refuse. How often can you buy something without money? It's clearly a transaction, something is being purchased but we are not the ones who spend the money. This is something that is bought for us as someone else pays the price. It's paid for and then gifted to us. 

This gift is not dependent on our abilities or effort. There is, however, something we need that enables us to receive the gift and this, simply, is a desire. "Come". 

For me, this becomes the backdrop for the parables which Jesus tells in Matthew 13:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." (verses 44-46)

Something of immeasurable value has been found and the desire to have it is so strong that the merchant and finder are prepared to sell everything in order to own it. 

There are a number of factors in these two parables that we should pay attention to. Firstly, it seems, in both cases, that the decision to acquire the pearl of treasure was spontaneous, it is almost a rash or impulsive decision. There is not much indication that a lot of thought went into it. This means its value (and therefore benefit) to the buyer was immediately obvious. 

The second factor is the joy of acquiring something with such immense value. This was a one-off, certainly not an everyday occurrence. It was a find that was unlikely to happen again.

Finally, there was a sacrifice involved. It seems the sacrifice was worthwhile as both the pearl merchant and finder of the treasure were prepared to sell everything else they owned in order to buy this one treasure. 

For us, as we consider the pearl of great price these three factors need to become the driving force of our heart. There are times when the impulse of our heart takes over when our mind would prevent us from doing something. That's faith in action!

Do we see something of great value that stirs joy in our heart which then leads us to do something radical?
​
Let's put these two parables together with the backdrop of Isaiah 55. The conclusion I reach is this: The pearl of great price is free but it could cost you everything. 

Jesus takes this further in Luke 14:25-27. To follow him means letting go of everything that matters and taking up our cross. The cross of sacrifice. 

'Sacrifice' often appears to us as being heavy and dutiful yet we forget the great joy of the person who found treasure hidden in the field. That joy compelled him to sell everything and it will be that same joy which will compel us to take up our cross. Jesus shows this path of sacrifice. Not only does he show it but he himself walks it. As ever, he leads by example. To sacrifice, or to let go, means there is a price to pay and before paying that price we need to count the cost (Luke 14:28-33).

When you go into a shop to buy something you have to be prepared to spend a certain amount of money in order to acquire what you want. You have to decide if that amount of money is worth spending to obtain the benefit of the goods you are buying. If it costs too much you think it's not worthwhile and won't make the purchase. 

To find and acquire the pearl of great price means we have to make a decision. Is it worth it? It may mean setting different priorities, living differently or changing your lifestyle (like the rich young ruler was challenged to do in Mark 10). It will inevitably involve change and only we can decide if that change is worth it. 

In fact, this is something we can never truly know. Faith does not give us all the answers in advance. Faith invites is to step into the unknown, it invites us to step into a journey of trust where we let go, believing that our Father knows the way ahead. 

Of course, we are not promised an easy journey. It's certainly not problem free. We are not immune to the difficulties and challenges of living in a broken world. The difference is that we have the certainty of Him walking through them with us. We have the guarantee of the Father's presence with us whatever this fallen world throws at us. 

When many of the wider group of disciples were leaving Jesus, because they were unable to pay the price, he turns to his closest friends with the question: "You do not want to leave too, do you?" (John 6:67). Peter replies with great boldness and certainty "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). 

Jesus does not call us to do something which he isn't already doing. He walked the path of sacrifice, he literally took up his cross and he invites and encourages us to do the same. This is the path of sonship. 

It is the path of sonship that leads us into intimate encounters with 'Abba'. But that intimate encounter may only be found in the isolation and agony of Gethsemane. It is there that Jesus, having chosen the path of the cross, cries out in agony "Abba, Father. Everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will" (Mark 14:36). It is there too, that we often find the place of intimacy and total dependency on the Father. The cost: "not my will, but yours". 

The way of the cross is the way of dependence and our absolute belief that we need a Saviour. Without this the cost means nothing and we do not find the pearl of great price. 

If we want these intimate 'Abba' moments we have to be prepared to accept the agony (and potential loneliness) of our personal Gethsemane. 

Counting the cost has to originate in our heart. It is not a religious duty although it can easily become one. Whilst it originates in our heart it will affect our mind and hence the decisions and choices we make. 

As Peter said: "where else can we go?" What other option do we have?

The writer of Hebrews expresses this very clearly for us:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

I believe the price is only worth paying if we are able to see beyond the sacrifice to the joy that is there for us. It is not a man-made joy but is us being able to step into the joy of the Lord, this then becomes our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). 

Jesus taught us to bring the kingdom of Heaven to earth (Matthew 6:10). To me, this is seeking to bring a little bit of Heaven to earth in whatever area of family, church, work or recreation we are involved in. It is living like Jesus and seeking the Father's will above our own. It is sacrificing our desires in order to see the Father's desires and will established on earth. It is releasing light and life into a world which up to now has been dominated by sin and death. 

Finding this is not necessarily automatic. Often we have to search or seek carefully to find that bit of Heaven we are to bring to earth. We have a helpful guide in Jeremiah 6:16:

This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

Very clear instructions: Stop. Look. Ask. And having done so, to then be prepared to follow a path that may be hidden, it may not be clear, it may not be obvious. But it is there to be found, and as we find it, we discover the thing we yearn for, rest for our souls. The doorway is small, the path is narrow and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13-14). Just because you find it doesn't mean others will.

The pearl of great price is the journey of sonship. It is walking as Jesus walked where he allowed his own will to die in order that the will of his Father could be done. It is seeking to bring heaven to earth, not as a religious duty but knowing in our heart that the Father's ultimate desire is to bring many sons and daughters home. 

The last words of Jesus before he is led away to the cross show us the heart of this kingdom. We need to know that we are loved just as Jesus is loved (this means the Father has the same intensity of passion for you and me as he has for his Son - John 17:26). Without that assurance our deeds or words are like a clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1). The kingdom of Heaven can only be brought to earth by those who live in love, just as Jesus lived in love. Judgement and condemnation will fail whereas love always prevails. 

To find the treasure in the field or the pearl of great price will require a surrender of your heart. It needs you to place your complete trust in your loving Father. It calls us to walk in love.

Remember: it's free, but it could cost you everything. 

Jesus said it's worth it. It's worth persevering for. It's worth everything!

Do we believe in something bigger than ourselves? If we don’t then our lives will be small, they will be restricted to what we can achieve or who we can become. Our abilities, our influence will be limited to the level of our own resources. For many, that may be satisfying enough but after a while it may leave us feeling frustrated as we think there is something more that we are missing out on.

There has to be something bigger than the circle of life which we create for ourselves. I believe all of us have an inbuilt desire to look beyond ourselves. We love looking to the horizon and imagining what is beyond, just over the edge that we can’t see. For each person that horizon may be in a different place but it gives us something to dream for, something to seek, something to lay hold of.

To pursue what is beyond the horizon requires trust. Trust is taking the steps we don’t think we can take. It’s going one, or many steps beyond what we think we’re capable of. It’s pursuing the ‘more’. Trust will enable you to take hold of the unknown future and begin to bring it into the present.

In Philippians 4:7 Paul tells us that the peace of Christ goes beyond our understanding. Wouldn’t it be great if, not only, we knew that peace but we could live in it continually. That’s quite a challenge. Somehow it must be possible to know it, perhaps not fully but to experience it in some increasing measure. This is where trust comes in. Can we trust the Father enough to lead us into that peace? Can we trust him enough to believe that he will work his purpose our for us?

There is a bigger picture for all of our lives. Very often we sense that this picture is beyond our reach and is over the horizon, we sense it’s there but have no idea how to find it, yet alone live in it. It’s a dream. This dream however can become a reality and I want to encourage you to believe that. Don’t let it remain a dream but begin to believe that what you yearn for can become something to live in.

The LORD will fulfil his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. (Psalms 138:8 ESV)

We’re very good at making plans, some of which happen, others fall by the wayside. There may be nothing wrong with our plans, they may be good for us, but they often come and go. God has a purpose for you and me that is eternal and will stand forever (Proverbs 19:21). His purpose is not so much the journey (although that can be important), rather it is the destination. Don’t worry if your journey is not linear. We make mistakes, we take diversions, we wonder where we are going and what is happening. The twists and turns of life’s journey can be confusing and cause us to doubt. We doubt ourselves and we doubt God.

He is not bothered about our diversions because his purpose is bigger and goes beyond our plans (however good they may be). His purpose is rooted in eternity and he’s promised to accomplish it. That’s where trust comes in - can we trust him enough so we lay aside our plans and allow him to lead us? He has begun a good work in us and he will complete it.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6 ESV)

A recurring theme of Paul’s letters is that we are ‘in Christ’, that’s our position as sons and daughters. It’s our true home. When the focus of our love is on him we will be drawn into a greater intimacy with the Trinity. Not only do we become secure in our relationship with him but we are also secure enough to begin to turn outward. We can trust God enough to start to consider others in a way perhaps, we’ve not been able to. We have a Father who cares for us and provides all we need (Matthew 6:25-34) and as we trust in that truth we can begin to stop prioritising our own needs.

Slowly we come to appreciate that life is not purely about us and our needs or desires. There’s a hurting world out there that needs to know the truth we know: that there is a loving Father who loves and wants to provide for his children. It’s love that causes us to trust and that love and dependency on the Father will do a miracle in our heart.

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 1:1-4 NIV)

The life of Paul inspires me. Despite his background and natural abilities he had learnt to be totally dependent on the Father. He had found that childlike trust went beyond his ability, his training and background. So much so that he even considered those things to be rubbish when compared with the greater glory of knowing who he was in Christ. He had found his citizenship in Heaven, he knew that he was loved as Jesus is loved. As we discover a greater revelation of this truth for ourselves we will be able to let go and trust.

Despite us feeling fearful or being scared there is a mystery about trust. The mystery is as we trust we become content, we find the place of rest that may have alluded us. We spend a lot of time, money and energy seeking to have more, to be more or to do more. A new phone comes out: better camera, more data, more storage, a faster processor and we must have it! Why? Because we believe it will make us more content. We work harder in order to be noticed, we want to be seen by others. Frankly we’re not content.

Contentment is deeper than possessions, ministry, titles or function. Contentment is the state of our heart so, like Paul, we can say that we are content whether we are in need or have plenty. We have learned to trust our Heavenly Father because he will meet all our needs according to the riches of his glory (Philippians 4:19).

Trust sounds so simple. Yet for many of us it is the complex process of letting go. It’s recognising that we can’t do it on our own, all of our striving will lead to frustration and cause us to be robbed of our peace. Trust says that our Father is bigger and our only response is therefore to have a childlike heart of rest and dependency on him. Trust takes us beyond what we can see as it enables us to reach over horizon and make the unknown our reality. For each of us that is different but I hope and believe you will find it exciting.

"What must I do?"

It's a very common question and probably one we ask more often than we would like to think. Growing up we ask it, at work we ask our boss what he would like us to do next, in our families - the same question. Of course, it can be a very helpful question to ask as it points us to our next task. And that's the problem I want to address, it's a very task oriented question. By it's very nature it focusses on doing and the implication of the question is that we want to do the right thing. 

One day when Jesus was on a journey, a rich young man ran up to him and asked him this same question. Here was a man who seemingly had everything: he was wealthy, he had status, no doubt he had a reputation and felt that he should be looked up to. Humanly speaking he seemed to have everything but he is searching for an answer. There is something going on in his heart as he knows that he has not found the real meaning to life despite everything being quite comfortable for him. He is not satisfied and he knows it. There is a longing in his heart that hasn't been satisfied by his wealth, status or reputation. He knows there is something more, yet he doesn't know what he is looking for. 

In Jesus, he sees a man who has the answer. He sees someone who, on the face of it, is not wealthy, nor does he have a prominent place in society but somehow he seems content. Somehow Jesus seems to know what really satisfies and this rich young man knows that he has the answer. He knows that Jesus can truly satisfy the longing and desires of his heart. 

So he runs up to Jesus and asks "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17). In that moment he reveals that there is a longing in his heart for something more, something greater, a deeper understanding of the meaning of life. He knows he lacks something and has found someone who can help him with his problem. At this point in the conversation Jesus is very clever, he doesn't immediately give the man the answer but he turns the question back to him by pointing him to the law (the ten commandments). In effect he tells the man that he already knows what he should be doing; he should go and keep all the requirements of the law. 

I wonder what the young man felt at that moment. He'd come seeking for an answer and he is told to go away and do more of the same. In his heart he knows that the requirement of the law has not satisfied nor has it given him the peace which he is searching for. He knows there is something more than and it can't be received simply by doing the right thing all the time. In desperation almost he tells Jesus that ever since he was a boy he kept the law, he has done the right thing but it hasn't filled the emptiness of his heart. He is craving something deeper and it won't be found by doing the right thing. For too long he has lived with an ache in his heart and now he wants his longing to be fully satisfied. He's, at last, found the man with the answer. 

He has asked a question and it's one that we ask too. "What must I do?"

The thing is, it's the wrong question. It's a question that will not satisfy, it will only lead us further down the pathway of self effort and performance. What the young man was really saying "what more do I have to do in order to please God, or to make my peace with him?" The trouble with that question is once we have done 'the more' we have to ask it again and again. Our mindset tells us that the only way to appease God is by constantly seeking out the good we need to do. To me, that sounds like the fruit of the wrong tree! The pursuit of the knowledge of what is good and desperately trying not to do those things we perceive as bad. We're striving to climb the (wrong) tree of works and performance. It doesn't work nor does it satisfy. 

Like the rich young man, doing the right things will not satisfy us. 

I imagine at this point he is pretty desperate. "Jesus, won't you tell me what to do!" And all Jesus does is look at him and love him (Mark 10:21). Can you imagine what that look of love looked like. It would have been encouraging, comforting and, no doubt, very winsome. 

And then Jesus speaks: "One thing you lack". 

Have you ever noticed that Jesus doesn't actually tell him what he lacks. Rather he tells him to go and do something (sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor). What Jesus is doing is giving the man the key which will enable him to then discover the thing that he lacks. If only he can let go of his props (his wealth, status and reputation) then he will be able to discover the thing he is missing. 

The young man couldn't do it. Despite that look of love he couldn't let go of his man-made security. He went away sad. 

If only he'd been able to let go of his props he would have discovered the key which would enable him to receive eternal life. 

Just before this young man came to Jesus, Jesus had been taking little children in his arms and blessing them. As he so often said "anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" (Mark 10:15). This is the only way for us to truly enter the kingdom of Heaven. 

I think the young man was watching Jesus with the children but felt that having a childlike heart was beneath him. For someone as important as him there had to be another way. I think he watches, he wonders and then he follows Jesus to ask how a man of his wealth and position can receive. Jesus' challenge is not because he wants the man to be poor, rather he wants him to let go of the things that he holds to himself and which prevent him coming with a childlike heart. If only he can let those go he would be in a position where he could begin to have a childlike heart and then (and only then) would the longing in his heart be satisfied. 

He couldn't do it. Sadly, he is one of the wise and learned who Jesus refers to in Matthew 11. They can't embrace a childlike heart and so can't enter the kingdom of Heaven. In fact, without a childlike heart it is impossible to have a revelation of the Father (Matthew 11:25-27). I believe the extent in which we know the Father is directly related to the childlike state of our heart. 

We too, ask that question "What must I do?". Like the rich young man we won't be satisfied unless and until we come with a childlike heart. For the rich young man, he needed to let go of his wealth and his pride. What about us? What do we need to let go of in order to discover the simplicity of a childlike heart. It is only as we turn around and humble ourselves that we can have a childlike heart and begin to enter more fully into a relationship with our loving Heavenly Father. 

The man wanted to 'do'. He had to stop 'doing' in order to be able to receive. He couldn't do it, can we?
​

In Matthew 11:25-30 Jesus makes three important statements which he clearly wants us to read as one. However, I think that there are many occasions when we pick one of them and focus on it rather than looking at the big picture which Jesus wants us to see. I want to look at these three statements afresh and look at them together, as one. In fact, in all of the commonly used Bible translations they are always put together in the same paragraph, under the same heading. There may be different titles in different versions but they are always put together. I wonder why we separate them. 

As we look at these three very well known statements I see we are given a key to receiving a revelation. We are given the revelation itself and finally we are shown the fruit, or benefit, of living in the revelation. Sadly, I think we desire the fruit without realising there is a key that needs to be taken hold of and used. Without the key, the fruit will be diminished. To fully benefit from what Jesus says we need to start with the all important key. 

What I am about to say may be offensive to some of you, yet is is something Jesus himself says many times throughout the gospels. 

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. (Matthew 11:25-26)

Something has been hidden. I believe Jesus sees this as a hidden treasure, it is something important and something we need to take notice of. It is valuable and not necessarily revealed or given to everyone. Obviously as it is hidden, it is not something that is readily or easily seen; it needs to be searched for and, once found, treated as being highly valuable. Treated as treasure. 

It is not something that can be found through intellect or status. This tells me it is not earned but it comes to us as a gift. 

So much of our society focuses on our intellectual ability or the product of our own effort. For this treasure those things are meaningless. The radical statement must have felt like a punch to Jesus' listeners: "you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do."

The key to receiving this gift, this valuable treasure is to come to the Father with a childlike heart. It's laying aside our pride and self-sufficiency and then coming in the simple dependence of a child. That would have shocked the people listening to Jesus and today it still shocks people as it seems so far removed from our experience or expectation. 

It is, however, the key. And as a key it unlocks something very important. It unlocks a revelation that can only be received as we humble ourselves and come with a childlike heart.

In fact, in Matthew 18 Jesus says we have to change and come as a child. The word 'change' means to convert - we have to stop walking in the direction we're going, turn right around and walk in the opposite direction. It's a radical change that many are not prepared to make. The key is hidden but as it's discovered by those with a childlike heart it brings the Father pleasure. 

If we turn, if we come as a child, then we can begin to understand the revelation which Jesus is uncovering. All he is doing is showing us what has always been there but we've been unable to see it. This revelation is at the heart of Jesus' ministry and so brings us to the second of our three statements. 

“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Matthew 11:27)

A careful read of John 17 shows us the centrality of the gospel. The most significant part of Jesus' ministry was to reveal the Father (John 17:3 & 26). Jesus is not secretive about this revelation, he wants us all to receive it. Neither is he selective about who he reveals it to, but, sadly, only a few are able to fully see it. The ones who can receive this revelation are those who understand there is a key. 

If we are unable to come with a childlike heart we will settle for seeing what God does, rather than seeing who he is. That's a huge difference. 

As the key of a childlike heart unlocks the revelation of who God really is so we are drawn into an intimate relationship with the Father. It is the same relationship that Jesus himself lived in. What a joy to our hearts!

In John 17:26 Jesus says he will continue to reveal the Father. It's very easy for us to be distracted and lose sight of the Father. I'm sure we can all identify with that. As we lose sight of the Father, Jesus reveals him to us once again and this helps us continue on our journey of walking in relationship, in intimacy and oneness. We can only have a revelation of the Father when we come with a childlike heart. 

This leads us to Jesus' final statement. "Come to me and I will give you rest".

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

I often think it should say ".....therefore come to me" as this life of rest is a direct consequence of knowing the Father. The implication of these three statements is: "come to me, let me reveal the Father and then you'll discover the contentment of a restful soul".

The consequence for Cain, after he'd killed his brother, was that he became a restless wanderer on the face of the earth (Genesis 4:12). I see that restlessness in so many people. It's a restlessness that is always striving to find out what more they need to do in order to feel loved, valued or accepted. As our heart finds its home in the Father's love the restlessness ceases and we start to discover true rest. It is then we realise there is nothing more we need to do in order to feel loved, valued or accepted. 

God is gracious and I know we have all experienced a measure of rest or contentment. Coming to the Father enables the deep restless wandering to fall away and for the first time, maybe, we find true rest. 

We long for that rest but all too often we try and find it without first taking the key of having a childlike heart which unlocks the greatest revelation of all: that God is a Father and he wants to be a Father to YOU. That is the only way to enter the rest your heart longs for and was made for. 

I hope you read this. I would like it to be read in every Parliament building, in every school, in every workplace and in every church. I know that won't happen, but I hope that by you reading it there will be a small change that maybe, just maybe, makes the world a better place. 

I'm talking about a small word which some would say is old fashioned, out-dated and consigned to history. It feels like a word that has been buried in the darkest corner of our collective society and left to gather dust or grow mouldy with age. It's a word associated with deference on one hand, or sycophancy on the other. Just let me clarify those two terms: deference is yielding to the wishes or desires of another (often based on class or authority); a sycophant is someone who flatters another, often for their own selfish gain. Deference often indicates our own lack of self-worth. Sycophancy, our desire to be noticed through the praise of others. Neither of these two words describes 'honour'.

Of course, honour can be used (or misused) to refer to those in authority who think they 'deserve' esteem or respect. We think, maybe they think, that they deserve it because of their status, wealth, rank or their leadership. All this does is set people apart and we begin to create a hierarchy where we place differing values on people. We honour our choice of politician yet we pour scorn on someone who holds a different view. We believe our choice of Prime Minister or President is the one God would choose, whereas our neighbour might hold a completely different view based on their own very good reasons. Political views are just one example for there are many. Our view, naturally, is right and everyone else's obviously wrong! We believe our expression of worship to be the right one, the only pleasing sacrifice to God, all others are second best and therefore rejected by us and God. We are impatient when another driver cuts across us on the motorway. We resent the mother and her young children, pushing past us as they try to squeeze their way into a supermarket when perhaps the kinder action would have been to step back and hold the door for them. 

We don't have to look very far to see the corrosive consequences of such an ungodly mindset. 

There is, however, a more basic definition of honour I wish to look at, as I believe, it is something we can all have as a foundation in our lives. It is something the milkman, the postman, the bus driver or the shop attendant deserve as much as those who hold some revered position in society; be it our workplaces, our churches or our political systems.  

Respect. Value. Recognition. Treating others as we ourselves would like to be treated. In short, honour. 

I thank God that all my children are different. How boring it would be if they were identical in every way. Even twins are different. We recognise and value that difference in our families but somehow we have lost sight of it in our communities and wider society. Why? I think, too often, we are promoting ourself or our beliefs and in doing so, we are pushing ourselves up at the expense of others. Perhaps not even intentionally, we push others down in order to give some credence to our own opinions or judgements. As we do, we dishonour those around us: we do not show them the respect, value or recognition that we ourselves would want to receive.

Deference or sycophancy are not true expressions of honour. They neither value nor respect others.  They are more about us and the attention we (perhaps inadvertently) seek to surround ourselves with in order to look good (or better than we really are). Honouring another will make that person look good, even if there is a cost to us for doing so. 

Why am I writing about this? Because I believe it to be important, I believe it is part of the Father's nature and character, I believe it is increasingly lacking in our churches and more importantly in our personal relationships. It is not an archaic quality that can be consigned to the rubbish bin of history. It is a fundamental part of the Trinity and, as we walk as Jesus walked, it will be (or dare I say it, should be) part of the fruit of the Spirit which naturally grows within us.

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." (John 17:1-5)

That's the Father honouring the Son and the Son honouring the Father. 

Jesus honoured his mother at the wedding in Cana. 

Everything Jesus did was to honour his Father: he wanted to make the Father look good, he promoted the Father above himself, he cared more about the Father's reputation than his own. 

The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him. (​John 8:29)

Jesus honoured his disciples, he honoured Mary and Martha, he even sought to honour those in civil authority (he was clear that taxes were due and should be paid). He honoured the marginalised in society, the poor, those the world rejected. 

The first command with a blessing is about honour: "honour your father and mother".

Let me say again, honour is not deference or sycophancy; it is respect, value and recognition. It is treating others as at least being equal to you, if not better. It is finding the gold in the midst of broken humanity and then praising that gold rather than highlighting the rubbish in which it is buried. Honour is more than common courtesy, it is a heart attitude that reflects the way we think of and treat others. 

Social media is one of the most dishonouring creations of modern man. Actually, all it does is broadcast the nature of the human heart which has been more hidden for centuries. Look at any public figure and one of their posts on social media, then look at the comments (before the editor gets to them) - a significant number are negative, dishonouring and very often largely false. Perhaps the only thing worse than dishonouring comments is a dishonouring post. 

This is not the message of scripture: "Love your enemies", "Love one another", "Go the second mile." Not popular expressions these days but ones which will begin to build a better society. 

Let us finally look, once again, at the example of Jesus. He was, after all, the Son of God, the Creator of all things, the One in whom all things hold together. He did not choose to promote himself or make himself look good. In fact, he chose the opposite and as he did, God the Father promoted (or exalted) him. The Father made the Son look good.

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:1-11)

We will reap what we sow. If we sow dishonour, that's what we'll reap. If we sow honour, we will reap an abundant harvest. I know what I'd prefer. 

I have written this to provoke a question. That question is not "how do others treat me"? Rather it is "how do I treat others"? I finish by asking you to ask the Father for a change of heart, in order that you can see others as he sees them. 

If you were to visit me in my office you would see a tidy desk, an efficient filing system and a clean room. I hope it would be a welcoming, yet professional, environment where you would feel at home and confident in my ability as an accountant. 

In fact, I could take you round the rest of the office and generally it's clean, neat and tidy. 

But there is one door and behind it is the stationery cupboard. Opening the door and stepping into the cupboard is not for the faint hearted. It's a mess. Whenever anyone goes into it they search for what they need by pulling things out of boxes, piling them on top of other things, leaving them on the floor and there they remain once the required item has been located. As you can see from the picture, it's not a real room but only the space under the stairs. 

There's a lot of history in that cupboard: A3 paper with sixteen ruled columns - long replaced by spreadsheets, Tippex now replaced with the backspace or delete buttons, paperclips, staples, typrewriter ribbons, dictation tapes all archaic and no longer useful or functional. Old boxes and packaging material which, of course, might be useful - one day!

What it needs is for everything to be pulled out, sorted and mostly thrown away. Then, what we use regularly could be put back (tidily) and we would all be able to see what we needed at a glance. The area right at the back of the cupboard, the part way out of reach under the stairs should be closed off to prevent further generations of junk being stored (in the hope that one day it might be useful). 

Will we ever get round to it? I doubt it - we've not done so in the thirty years I've been there and we're too busy to even begin to think about doing it. 

My point?

I think there is the equivalent of my stationery cupboard lurking somewhere in the depth of our heart. A part of our heart that is behind a closed door which looks good from the outside. It's a door we don't want to open and certainly somewhere we are not particularly keen on sorting out. As with my stationery cupboard, there may be some things that could be useful but we can't seem to locate them because of all the debris that surrounds them. 

There is only one way for us to sort out the stationery cupboard of our heart and that is to be brave enough to open the door and begin to look at what is there. Then take it all out and ask a question: "Why is this here?" In some cases, when I look at the things in the cupboard the question may be "How on earth did that get there?"

Stationery is one thing but our heart is most definitely another. The stuff buried in our heart consists of memories, wounds, pain, failed relationships, the consequences of our actions and so much more. It is often too overwhelming to even begin to think about opening the door to the secret place of our heart. 

If my stationery cupboard was open to visitors it would be an embarrassment. Thankfully, it's not, it's only my staff who have access to it. Our heart is slightly different. Whilst we think we have a closed door to hide all the pain behind, people can often see beyond the door and see what we are trying to hide. Remember Jesus said that out of our heart the mouth speaks. What we try and hide has a way of sneaking out when we least expect it. The pain leaks! We may try and hide it from others but we can't hide it from our Father. 

Our Father is interested in the stuff behind the door. Not because he wants to condemn or judge but simply because he wants you to be free. Free of the weight all that clutter represents. Free of the old, useless things that you no longer need to carry around with you. Free of the failures and the memory of things that have gone wrong. 

And yes, it appears too overwhelming to suddenly open the door and go straight in to pull everything out in order to have a major clear out. 

I suggest you let your Father be the guide and instructor in this process. Let him open the door and take one item out at a time. Look at it together and decide if it is useful or whether it should be thrown away. Remember there will be some good stuff behind that door so take time to find it and celebrate it. As you work through the cupboard allow the Father to comfort you as each and every item is discarded. Let his comforting love be the thing that replaces those things which are removed. 

He wants to fill the stationery cupboard of your heart with his gentle, comforting love. As he does you will begin to live more freely and lightly.