Finding Comfort in the Uncomfortable

In Jeremiah 27, the Lord tells Jeremiah to make a yoke and fasten it on his neck with leather straps. It's uncomfortable. Then he tells him to send a message, calling the people to submit to the yoke of the king of Babylon. Again, it's uncomfortable.

Later that year, a false prophet named Hananiah comes along and tells them that God will remove the yoke from their necks. He tells them that within two years God will bring back all of their treasures that were carried off to Babylon and will bring back the captives. His message was comforting to them at that time, but it was simply not true. They were being comforted with a lie - something they would always be hoping for, but never see come to pass.

Then, in Jeremiah 29, God gives them a true promise. Jeremiah sends a letter to the people who had been exiled to Babylon, and in this letter he tells them,"Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare" (v. 5-7). He is telling them to get comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. Sometimes God's promise doesn't come in the form of a hopeful breaking of the yoke. Sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes God's promise does not mean your yoke will be lifted in two years. Sometimes God's promise means the slavery continues, the captives remain, and the treasures are not returned. Sometimes God's promise requires 70 years of endurance. It may not be easy to understand, and it may not be easy to accept, but one thing you can be sure of is that God's promise is TRUE. The truth may be harsh, but the hope is REAL. God doesn't comfort us with lies. Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?" In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.." God doesn't just speak truth, He is truth. In John 14:16-17 Jesus says the Holy Spirit is our Comforter, and He leads us into all truth. In verse 27 He says, "I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." We have no reason to fear, no reason to doubt. What better to be comforted by than the truth? Or better yet, who better to be comforted by than the truth?

So when God says get comfortable, you can trust you're going to be there for a while. When God says you're going to be in slavery for another 70 years, then you're going to be in slavery for another 70 years. But the beauty of it all is that God's promise doesn't end there.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 says,

"This is what the Lord says: 'You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,' says the Lord. 'I will end your captivity and restore you fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.'"

God will lead you to uncomfortable situations, but He won't abandon you there. He has promised to never leave or forsake us. He has a plan and a purpose for all things. He has led us here and now for a reason. Every season has a reason.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says,

"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

A time to be born, and a time to die. 

A time to plant, and a time to harvest. 

A time to tear down, and a time to build up. 

A time to cry, and a time to laugh. 

A time to grieve, and a time to dance. 

A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather stones. 

A time to embrace, and a time to turn away. 

A time to search, and a time to quit searching. 

A time to keep, and a time to throw away. 

A time to tear, and a time to mend. 

A time to be quiet, and a time to speak. 

A time to love, and a time to hate. 

A time for war, and a time for peace."

The changing seasons of life were not meant to leave us unchanged. They are meant to grow us, to strengthen us, and to transform us more into the image of Christ. But as C.S. Lewis said, "Mere change is not growth." He went on to say, "Growth is the synthesis of change and continuity, and where there is no continuity there is no growth." In these changing seasons of life, we find our continuity in the unchanging truth of God. We find our consistency in the God who's love never fails and mercy never ends (Lamentations 3:22-23). He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8). He is our constant source of hope. Hebrews 6:17-19 says, "God bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary."

We can learn from the past because God has been faithful before, and we can hope for the future because God will be faithful forevermore, but we need to learn to live in the present - because God is faithful now. He is the great I AM. He is a here-and-now kind-of God. We need to live in the present moment and enjoy His presence with us. Everything in the past has led us to where we are now, and where we are now will lead us where He has prepared for us next. The situation may not be comfortable now, but we can find our comfort in Him. The season may be changing now, but we can find our consistency in Him.

Embrace the uncomfortable - We discover strengths we never knew we had when we reach beyond the borders of comfort zones.

Embrace the change - The greatest transformations occurs through the most difficult trials and transitions.

We can find contentment in the chaos when we put our hope and trust in God.

We need to follow the advice God gave in Jeremiah 29. We need to submit to the yoke of slavery. We need to settle down and get comfortable where we are now, because God has us here for a reason. We may not be where we want to be, but we are where we need to be. God always has our best interest at heart. Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." Submitting to the will of God may be uncomfortable at first, but that's only because it's unfamiliar to us. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, so in Him we find all the comfort we will ever need. That's why God told the people to build homes, plant gardens, and start families. He wanted them to be comfortable. He wanted them to be blessed, not burdened. God is in control, and in His sovereignty He will lead us where we need to be. But we have free-will, and in our freedom we determine how things unfold once we get there. If we choose to dwell in the past and look back with longing for how things used to be, then we will always be miserable. Likewise, if we choose to be comforted with lies, then we will find ourselves watching and waiting for an immediate deliverance that will leave us disappointed time and time again.

Ecclesiastes 3:10-13 says,

"I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God." 

God makes all things beautiful in time. He is working all things together for good, and we will rejoice in time to come, but for now we need to enjoy the moment we've been given. We serve a God who is big enough, and good enough, to make the uncomfortable comfortable. When you pray, He will listen. When you seek, He will be found. And, in time, He will fulfill all that He has promised. Trust in His plan. Trust in His promise.