“A voice was heard in
Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she
refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:18
This verse is also found
in Jeremiah. Matthew says it was the fulfillment of a prophecy of when Herod
killed the little children in Bethlehem, after hearing of the birth of Jesus, “the
king of the Jews.” He wanted to make sure there was no king but him.
The mothers of these
children refused to be comforted.
I don’t remember what book
I read where the author quoted this and said they could have been comforted by
God, but refused.
I’d never thought about
what that verse meant, besides a great sorrow. The author said we must allow
God to comfort us because if we don’t, sin will follow. I believe he is right.
Right now, in my family,
there is a lot of sorrow and grief. My youngest sister’s friend is dying of
cervical cancer, my daughter’s mother-in-law is in the hospital with lung
cancer, my older sister’s son committed suicide last fall, my grandson is
suffering from depression, my mother has colon cancer, my youngest granddaughter
has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and is in great mental pain, which is giving
her mother deep emotional pain.
If we don’t allow God to
comfort us and walk through this with us, we will start asking, “Why us?” “Why me?”
We could become bitter and angry. We could begin to blame and hate God,
who has allowed all this to happen and put us in such a terrible world.
Yesterday, when I heard my
granddaughter was feeling worse, I felt so burdened and sad. I remembered this
verse and told God I wanted his comfort. I needed his comfort. I receive his
comfort by prayer, reading the Psalms and remembering what Jesus suffered.
This I know, God has not
asked us to go through anything he has not gone through.
“For as we share
abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in
comfort too.” 2 Corinthians 1:5
“Now if we are children,
then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in
his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:17
“But rejoice insofar as
you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his
glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:13
“I want to know
Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his
sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
Philippians 3:10
“…and our hope for you is
firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you
are sharers of our comfort.”
2 Corinthians 1:7
