Comfort, Comfort Ye My People (v. 2)

Johann Olearius, 1611-84, tr. Catherine Winkwork, 1827-78

Yea, her sins our God will pardon,                                 Yea – Yes, indeed

Blotting out each dark misdeed;

All that well deserved His anger

He no more will see or heed.

She has suffered many-a day,

Now her griefs have passed away;

God will change her pining sadness                               pining – longing, desiring, has a sense of hopelessness

Into ever-springing gladness. 

               It is hard to feel the impact of this verse if you don’t feel your sin is very serious. In 1996 The Verve Pipe sang, “For the life of me I cannot believe we’d every die for these sins we were merely freshmen.” The singer protests he can’t and won’t be held responsible despite the fact that he is, “guilt stricken sobbing with our heads on the floor.”[1] That is a picture of sin’s impact! It leaves us utterly shattered.

               Imagine feeling that broken, that hopeless and then hearing this verse’s message. God pardons sin. He refuses to even think about it or look at it because He has blotted it out. The suffering that comes with being guilt stricken is gone, and our pining sadness is replaced with hope and gladness in the coming Savior.

               Theologians call this experience The Great Exchange. It is the awful mystery that Paul expresses in 2 Cor. 5:21, when he says that God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin, so that in Him we might become righteous. Isaiah prophesied about that salvation, and here we sing in wonder and awe that our griefs have passed away and we have real reason to be glad in Jesus’ birth.

Prayer

               Lord God, help us feel the real weight of our sin so that we might understand how amazing Your forgiveness is. Help us know what deserves Your anger, and believe that it is blotted out because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Help us to know these things that we might know that the ever-springing gladness that comes from Jesus’ salvation. Amen.

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[1] The Freshmen, The Verve Pipe, 1996, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC 

If you have chosen to fast today, here are some reminders. 

First, remember that fasting is a practice that separates us from the world. We are denying a basic physical need to our bodies for a period of time in order to focus on the need of our souls. This is a time for prayer, reflection, self-examination, and meditation on God's Word. 

Second, short fasts like this are harder on the emotions than the body. Be aware that you might get grumpy or feel other negative sensations. Let these feelings remind you of your mortality and use them to recall that you are also immortal and live eternally because of Jesus' resurrection. You are focusing on your immortal soul for a while instead of your mortal body. (And fasting is certainly not an excuse to be rude. On the contrary, the humility of fasting would urges us to strive for greater kindness and courtesy.) 

Third, drink lots of water - unless you are fasting from drinking as well as eating. Drinking water will help with the sensation of hunger. Hydration also helps to stave off headaches that can result from fasting, too. It is up to you if you will drink tea or coffee as these have no caloric value. However, do not over-imbibe these caffeinated beverages as they can lead to dehydration. And be careful of sugary drinks. Depending on your needs, some juice might be helpful, but don't drink too much as they can upset your stomach (and bowels!). Beverages likes pop or sports drinks are probably best avoided while fasting. 

Finally, remember this is a devotional practice. It is something you do freely in Christian freedom. It's value is that it helps us focus on Jesus, His Word, and prayer. It might be helpful to have a verse to focus on or a prayer to read through the day. Of course, you can just remember and pray.