When you go through hard times God says He is your Comforter and you can lean on Him. He comforts you in a few ways. He will remind you who He is by telling you to remember who came before you and what He did for them. Verses 1-3 read,
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
that I might bless him and multiply him.
3 For the Lord comforts Zion;
he comforts all her waste places
and makes her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.”
Remember God made Abraham from one person seeking Him into nations of people. Followers of Jesus are among those descendants. You are his children through faith. He was called righteous because of his faith and you are given that same privilege. And God wants you to remember what He has done for you personally as well. Verses 4-6 read,
“Give attention to me, my people,
and give ear to me, my nation;
for a law will go out from me,
and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.
5 My righteousness draws near,
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will judge the peoples;
the coastlands hope for me,
and for my arm they wait.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;
but my salvation will be forever,
and my righteousness will never be dismayed.”
Remember God sent His beloved Son Jesus to be righteousness and make a way of salvation for the whole earth. Jesus is the Law and Justice that God sent out. He is the Salvation. He judges the nations. He gives us His righteousness freely so that we can reconcile with God. He grows us. He nurtures us. He makes us new and fruitful. When Judgment comes, and the earth is no more, we who are His will be with Him in Zion for eternity.
God tells us we do not have to fear any man or any trouble or suffering that comes to us because of who He is. He wants us to remember He is God Almighty, the LORD. He has delivered His children in the past. He promises to deliver those who seek Him and His Righteousness. We have nothing to fear from mere men. Remember God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt with plague after plague. He cut Pharaoh down to size. He dried up the Red Sea to allow His children to walk through it unharmed, then drowned the entire army that tried to follow in that same sea. He created the Heavens and Earth. He made you and He made your oppressor. (Verses 9-11).
Remember your oppressor will die one day. But you are the child of The Living God. You will live with Him in Zion praising and singing. You don’t have to fear men when you remember who God is. God gave you Jesus. He saved you. He gives you the ability to come into His presence and hear straight from Him. He protects you. He provides for you. He calls you His. (Verses 12-16).
Remember Jesus has justified you and you will no longer face God’s punishment. The men who distress you and pour their fury on you will face God’s judgment. God will take the power out of their hands and pour His wrath on them. You have nothing to fear from them because you will not drink the wrath of God. You drink of His Spirit. (Verses 17-20).
You may face destruction, devastation, hunger, and even death. But when compared to the promise and hope of Christ, can any of that really hurt you? No one wants to suffer, but you are not in it alone when you have God’s Spirit within you. Let the suffering bring you closer to the Lord. Let it produce perseverance, faith, and righteousness in you. (Romans 3:3-5).
Remember who God is. Remember what He has done for His children who came before you. Remember what He has done for you. Remember the power of who He is. Listen to His words and follow Him. Remember what He will do to those who oppose Him.