Near to the Heart of God

A Bible Study for Women using the authorized King James Bible, the only inerrant Word of God

By Patricia Dowers

Introduction

We are all familiar with the word, “comfort”. Sometimes we need it and sometimes we are called upon to provide it. Sometimes it is weak and elusive and sometimes we cling to it as a lifeline. We all search for it in times of fear and trouble. We crave it in times of loss. It is a noble calling to be a comforter. From time to time we are all in need of comfort, but when we are called upon to comfort how do we rise to the level that is needed. In this Bible study we will explore what the Word of God teaches about both needing and providing comfort, and what better Teacher than the Comforter, Himself, the Holy Spirit of God.

Before we begin our first session, in order to give us context, let us examine one of many promises of comfort that God gave to Israel and, a promise that is also ours, by adoption through faith in the shed blood of Christ. Please read Psa.121 together with your group. These beautiful verses remind us that the God Who knows all and sees all holds us in His hand.

Please note: In this study, as in all others, it is important to read all Scripture references for yourself that you may know what God has to say.

Session 1

Humans are created with hearts capable of breaking. Most of us do not live very long before our heart is broken in some fashion. All the doctors and medicine in the world cannot heal an emotionally broken heart. It is a subject constantly on our minds. We write books and songs about it. We share our broken hearts with other broken hearts in therapy and encounter groups. Whole industries have made great deals of money on broken hearts. Sometimes we are even entertained by a broken heart so long as it is someone else’s. How sad is that? Perhaps we wrongly think it may make our own broken heart feel a little better.

As believing women we are neither immune from a broken heart nor unaccountable for comforting others. So, where do we stand on this subject of reflecting the glory of the Lord in all circumstances? After all, isn’t this why we endure?

The patriarch, Jacob was falsely told that his beloved son, Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Please read Gen. 37:35. Scripture tells us that many tried to provide comfort “but he _________ to be comforted. How long did Jacob say he would mourn for his son? ___________________________. This is what we would expect after the loss of a child. Most would say that together, with the loss of a spouse, it would be considered the most profound loss. Not only is this loss a life changer but a life-long changer.

At times of such deep loss even believers can feel abandoned by their God. Psa. 77 is a Psalm of Asaph. We are not quite sure of the source of Asaph’s grief but we can feel his deep despair in verses 1-9. Please read them aloud with your group and answer the questions below.

In v. 2, where did Asaph go for comfort?

What did he do with that comfort?

In v. 4 With what was Asaph having trouble?

In v.6 How was he trying to comfort himself?

Finally, we read in verses 7-9 that Asaph is questioning God’s faithfulness when it was Asaph that refused God’s comfort.

We cannot leave Asaph in this dark place without being reminded that he had deep love and passion for God’s people and took their tribulation to heart. If we read through the Psalms he authored, we see he also had a very deep trust in the Lord. Please read Psa. 73:23-28 aloud with your group.

Like Jacob, Asaph and so many of us in the same situation, we put up a roadblock to God’s comfort. Could it be that we are not really looking for comfort but restoration? In order to truly accept the comfort of the Lord we must first submit to His perfect will. But how can the perfect will of God allow such deep pain in His child? Let us look to Scripture for the answer. Please read the following verses and fill in the blanks.

Rom. 8:18 What cannot the present suffering be compared to?

I Pet. 3:18 Who first unjustly suffered and died for our sins to bring us to God?

I Pet. 5:10 What will the Lord do if we trust Him in suffering?

God has a plan and the most important part of that plan was to send His own Son to the cross to suffer and die for the salvation of our souls. Additionally, His plan is to bring us to Himself in glory. The more we identify with the Lord’s sufferings the more His comfort is made available to us in our own suffering. Phil. 3:10 tells us why. Please copy this verse in the space below.

How do we comfort each other in our grief without murmuring empty, obligatory words, or even harmful words? I immediately think of Job of the Old Testament who was descended on by the worst “comforters” ever. We should all read the book of Job on a regular basis to remind ourselves how not to comfort. Most importantly, however, Job gives us one of the most concise insights on the character of God spoken by God, himself. Also, Job’s response to God in humility and trust is our example in all situations.

As we recall, Job lost everything he owned and all his children in one day except his wife and his life. Immediately four friends travelled to his side with intentions to comfort. They were so overwhelmed by Job’s dire circumstance that they felt the need to distance themselves from whatever they perceived Job did to deserve his fate. For many days Job was hammered with their false conclusions until God intervened. Please read Job 16:1-5 where we see Job’s response to his friends. We must be diligent not to make assumptions about the trials of others.

As believing women, how do we allow the Holy Spirit to move through us to comfort each other? First of all, this is His will. Please read I Thes. 3:12-13 together with your group.

In v.12 what must we do one toward another?

In v. 13 why must we do this?

Once we are saved by the blood of the Lamb and indwelt by His Holy Spirit, we can allow His power and comfort to move through us in sincerity and in love to reach the hearts of those who suffer. Our arms become the arms of the Lord as we embrace those in need. Our words are the comforting words of Scripture to those who have lost hope. Our silent presence can radiate the love of Jesus to those in their darkest time.

The way that we comfort each other should be the way that we treat each other all of the time. Please read Col. 3:12-17 with your group. If we follow the Lord’s instruction, we can all be loving comforters.

Session 2

Day to day life without guidance from above is impossible for the believer. The spirit and mind are in constant conflict with the false wisdom of the world. We find ourselves barraged with choices and circumstances that we cannot navigate on our own. In this session we will explore how we receive guidance for every day from the Holy Spirit and the comfort in knowing we walk in His will.

Jesus, in John 14: 16-18, tells His disciples of the coming of the Holy Spirit. What is He called in v. 16?

How long will He abide?

In v. 17, where will He dwell?

If the Holy Spirit of God is dwelling in us then we have constant access to guidance and comfort. This is for every moment of every day. Life is too difficult even on normal, uneventful days to go it alone. Sometimes, on an “easy” day when we are not paying attention, we are most susceptible to a bad choice that can send us down a wrong path.

Many times, in Scripture the Lord refers to us as sheep. The few occasions I have spent observing sheep, I have noticed they absolutely do not like surprises. They live in peace as long as everything is normal. The moment the smallest thing interrupts their peace they panic and scatter. It takes a quick-thinking shepherd, sheep dogs, and enclosures to calm them down. They are immediately in need of comforting! So much like us!

How sweet and comforting that the Lord thinks of us as His sheep and knows exactly what we need. Let us look at a few of these passages from the Bible.

Psa. 23:1 The Lord is my ____________

Psa. 95:7 We are ____________________ and the __________________

John 10:11 The good shepherd giveth___________________________

In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul speaks of his comfort in the Lord in his day to day life. We all know upon reading through the Book of Acts and Paul’s many epistles that he certainly did not have a comfortable life. Far from it! But he did have a comforted life because his trust for every day was in his Lord. We must believe the Lord for comfort or we will never see or recognize it. Please read Phil. 4:11-13 aloud with your group. When is Paul content? (v. 11)

Where does Paul find his strength? (v.13)

Paul learned that he did not need to wait until the situation had passed to be comforted. He was comforted in the midst of the situation. I am sure the greatest comfort for Paul and for all of us is knowing that he was not alone. Once the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the heart of the believer, she is never alone. The Lord is not just a bystander watching over us as we experience our pain. He feels our pain with us. Please read Heb. 4 15-16 aloud with your group and copy V.16 in the space below.

We also find comfort in refuge. At the end of the day when we reflect all that transpired, we have the assurance that the Lord is there to help us sort it out. Did we make godly choices? Did we reflect God’s light and love? Did we come alongside another in need? If the answers disappoint us and the Lord, we know He is still a refuge of love, mercy and grace for a new day.

The first epistle of John contains many assurances of the believer’s permanent position in the Lord. They are indeed a great comfort, but it also contains admonitions in comforting others in need. Please read the following verses and answer the questions below.

I John 2:9 Where is he that hateth his brother?

3:16 How do we perceive the love of God?

3:18 How should we love?

3:23 What is the two-fold commandment?

Philippians 2:1-5 reads like a daily recipe for receiving consolation or comfort in the Lord. Please read this passage aloud with your group. Let us take a look at the ingredients of this recipe.

Recipe for comfort in the Lord

v.2 be likeminded

have the same love

of one accord

of one mind

v.3 do nothing through strife

or vainglory

but have lowliness of mind

esteem others better than ourselves

v.4 look not on your own things

but on the things of others

v.5 lastly, let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus

As members of the Body of Christ we must allow the Holy Spirit to use our physical bodies to offer hugs, a kind touch, our voice for comforting words, our feet to run errands, our eyes and ears to see and hear the need, and our hearts to comfort willingly and lovingly. This seems like a lot but in the strength of the Spirit we can do anything (Phil. 4:13).

In the next session we will examine the comfort we need to receive and share during times of overwhelming tribulation. We can still find strength and victory.

Session 3

There comes a time or times in every believer’s life when we find ourselves in such deep grief and pain that only God’s perfect comfort can ease. It may be the loss of a loved one, the loss of personal health, or the sudden loss of home and much of what we hold dear. Certainly, in recent times with so many natural and manmade disasters in every part of the globe, we see and hear of people left with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. As we recall in Session 1, the Old Testament saint, Job, experienced this overwhelming loss. We also remember that no words from his four friends or his wife could reach his heart to comfort him. In fact, their words had just the opposite effect. Many times, this is because we know that what is lost can never be restored. Life will never be the same and is it even worth going on? This sort of grief involves many complicated emotions, such as anger, confusion, deep loneliness, bitterness, abandonment, pain and the list goes on.

This grief requires the supernatural comfort that only the Lord can provide. Let us examine what Scripture has to say about the Lord’s comfort. These are promises that we can trust. Please fill in the spaces below.

Psa.23:4 …I will fear no evil:

Psa. 27:5 For in the time of trouble

Psa. 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord,

Matt. 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn;

Psalm 27 is a psalm of David who experienced every form of trial and grief and much of it of his own making, but he always knew where to go for true consolation. He went to the One Who knew his heart and his thoughts, his motives, desires and fears. He looked to the Lord to comfort and sustain him in the present and trusted Him for the future. No human comfort can give us promises for our future but the Lord can!

Please read Psa. 27 aloud with your group and answer the questions below.

v.1 What three truths do we have from the Lord?

v.5 Where will He hide me in time of trouble?

v.10 When others forsake me, what will the Lord do?

v. 13 What must I believe to be sustained?

v.14 What two things must we do to receive the strength of the Lord?

David learned early in his life that to receive all the comfort and strength he needed from the Lord he must first trust Him. We know as believers that we must trust the Lord for our eternal salvation but sometimes in our weakness or when battered by the evil one we forget we need to trust Him daily and especially, for our trials.

Please read with your group and copy Psa. 28:7 in the space below.

We must never forget to praise and thank the Lord for His amazing peace, comfort and deliverance. He is All that stands between us and the ever-present evil in this world, but He is more than sufficient.

Sometimes, in our darkest hour, when we are in need of the most comfort, we show forth our best testimony for the Lord. How can that be? Please read II Cor. 1:3-7 aloud with your group and please read it slowly. There are so many truths packed in this short passage.

What are the names that the Apostle Paul gives to God in v. 3?

In v.4 What is the result of God’s comfort to us in all our tribulation?

If we are to comfort others by the same comfort the Lord has shown to us we must be prepared to share not only our personal experience but more importantly, the Lord’s own words from Scripture.

V.5 assures us that as Christ suffered for us, whatever we suffer for Christ, the consolation abounds even more. That is a precious promise for by it we see that our abounding consolation can be visible to those around us and the Holy Spirit can use it to touch the hearts of others. Many have been saved observing the peace of God in the lives of believers going through grief and trials.

V.6 reminds us that we all share in the Body of Christ and we share our afflictions and consolations, as well. (Please read I Cor. 12:26.) It is therefore, the responsibility of every believer to purposely seek to be a comfort to those in need, bearing in mind that sometimes silent fellowship is best while the Holy Spirit ministers to the heart. If we are prayerful and loving, the Lord will give His guidance in the best way to comfort.

V.7 goes on to explain that as part of the Body of Christ, we will share in the sufferings as well as, the consolation. Miraculously, just as our own bodies feel the pain and suffering of one part, and the entire body benefits from the relief; so, we all take on the suffering of our fellow believers and are blessed by their consolation in the Lord. What an amazing God we have!

There are times when are grief is so great that we need the Lord’s enduring comfort. We can trust that our gracious and merciful Lord never does anything in half-measures. Psalm 37:5-7 gives us instruction on enduring grief over time. Please read this passage aloud with your group.

In v. 5 What two measures are we asked to take?

What does the Lord promise if we do?

In v.6 What will the Lord bring forth?

In v.7 We are to rest_______________________________

wait_______________________________

fret not_____________________________

We have looked at the Lord’s mercies for our individual comfort and consolation. In our next session we will explore God’s consolation and promises for Israel and His Church. It is so exciting to see what He has in store for us!

Session 4

No group of people in history has needed more comfort in tribulation more than Israel, God’s chosen people. You might say much of it stemmed from disobedience but aren’t we all guilty of that? God loves fully and completely and never goes back on His promises. When He chose Israel for His own, He chose them forever, just as He chose believers in Christ to be His Bride. We can trust in His forever promises. Only our amazing, holy God can fulfill His own holiness and shower us with His mercy at the same time. Please read I Pet. 5:10 aloud with your group and answer the questions below:

How is God named in this verse?

What are we called to?

How long must we sometimes suffer?

What will He do if we endure?

The Lord recorded so much of the history of the Jewish people in His Word that we all may learn from their journey across mountaintops of triumph and deep valleys of defeat. The Lord carefully laid out in clear terms His laws and instructions to bring His people into a state of obedience and sanctity in order to have a loving relationship with Him. Please read Deut. 11:26-28 and answer the questions below.

When does God promise a blessing?

When does God promise a curse?

Israel found themselves under God’s curse on numerous occasions but as we read in Scripture and as we observe through history to present times, God did not and will not abandon them. He has brought them back to their promised land and He has mighty things in store for Israel yet, in the kingdom of their Lord Jesus Christ. Isa. 49:8-13 reveals part of God’s faithful promise for the future and His comfort and consolation in the moment. Please read these verses aloud with your group and discuss how trusting the Lord for the future can help us trust in His consolation for the present.

Another glimmering passage of hope for Israel is found in Isa. 52:9,10. Please read this portion and answer the question below:

What will the Lord do for His people? I count four.

God also has blessings in store for believers waiting for His return. As we try with the help of His Holy Spirit to live godly lives, things happen that disrupt along the way. Trials are sometimes of our own sin and folly but sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of tribulation not of our own making. We also have promises from the Lord that bring our only lasting comfort from a Well that is so deep we can never exhaust it. The epistles of the Apostle Paul speak of times when he was comforted by deliverance but mostly comforted during trials, and that was enough.

In I Thes. 4:13-18, Paul records the comfort of a promise to those who have lost a dear loved one, a most overwhelming loss. Please read these verses aloud with your group. Perhaps some may feel free to share how the Lord personally comforted in this situation.

Another precious promise and a favorite of mine in many trials is Psa. 91:4-5. Please copy it in the space below.

Finally, we have a precious word of comfort in the last promise of the Bible. If nothing else gives comfort to endure, this should. Jesus closes His Holy Bible with these words, (Rev. 22:20) “He which testifieth these things sayeth, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Below is a familiar hymn written a long time ago that reminds us that Jesus longs to hold us close while He heals us with His comfort. Please ask someone in your group to read the words aloud while we meditate on His perfect comfort.

Cleland Boyd McAfee (September 25, 1866 – February 4, 1944) was an American theologian, Presbyterian minister and hymn writer, best known for penning this gospel hymn. He wrote this song after the concurrent deaths of two of his young nieces, caused by diphtheria.

Near to the Heart of God.

1. There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God;
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.

2. There is a place of comfort sweet,
Near to the heart of God;
A place where we our Savior meet,
Near to the heart of God.

3. There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God;
A place where all is joy and peace,
Near to the heart of God.

Refrain:
O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God;
Hold us, who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.

This has been in some ways a difficult study to write because it brings back memories of the many times I have needed the comfort of the Lord. But, I can honestly say, He is always there to meet me in my darkest place. Until next time I pray that you find your peace and comfort…

near to the heart of God.