January 3 – LD 1, Day 3: Our Only Comfort
by Prof Herman Hanko
Read: Philippians 1:21-23
What a wonderful
possession we would have if in this world of sorrow we had something truly
comforting!
Something that is truly
comforting is some truth that changes every sorrow, every pain, every disappointment in life into something very, very
glorious. It is a truth that explains everything that happens to us and causes
every experience in life to glow with joy. It is some proposition that erases
all grief and suffering.
Comfort is, therefore,
something that is able to bring peace to the heart of the child of God; it is
something that can change his tears to laughter; It is
something that brings hope in a hopeless world. It is a truth that we can carry
with us to the cemetery when we bury a loved one; that can bring happiness in
the hospital when we face surgery; that can strengthen us in our weariness when
the burdens of life seem too heavy to carry. Above all, comfort is something
that can take completely away these terrible sins which are an impossible
burden to us in life.
It is true that the whole
world needs comfort, for the whole world is plunged into misery and grief.
Wars, diseases, death, tornados, sicknesses of every sort fill the hospitals
and nursing homes, soak the battlefields with the blood of thousands of a
nation’s youth, force the building of prisons and houses of correction and
bring always greater grief.
But the Heidelberg
Catechism does not address the wicked world, and its discussion of an only
comfort is not intended for them. That is the beauty of its personal approach.
What is thy only comfort? The question is asked of the
believing child of God.
The world would not
accept the one truth that does bring comfort, for the world hates the truth of
God and despises the Christ preached in the gospel. The assemblies of the
nations would laugh in scorn if the believer would tell them where their true
comfort was to be found. They prefer to trust in their bank accounts, their
pensions, their insurance policies, their own health and strength, their
confidence in the goodness of man that will some day make this world a better
place to live. So they live and die in misery, trusting in themselves
and bitterly disappointed when their treasures turn to ashes before their eyes.
The believer is one in
whom God works by his Holy Spirit, and who has the gift of faith. He is asked
by the Catechism to give an account of his comfort.