Solace – Matthew 26:39

And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.

Solace awaits us at the foot of the throne.  When we cry out to our compassionate Lord for comfort, He will touch us with a consolation so gracious and encompassing that it reaches to the roots of our sorrow and brings serenity to our hearts.  Just as our Lord went away and laid on His face before the Father, seeking solace when His soul was deeply grieved within Him,[1] so can we go apart from our activity to ask our Father to remove our hearts’ heaviness and to restore our joy.

When we are deeply grieved, we will find solace as we call out to the Lord, falling onto our knees, even our faces, asking Him to turn our ashes into roses, our fears into hope, and our doubts into reliance that He will bring an eternal resolution better than any we might conceive.  As we surrender to His will, entrusting ourselves as well as others into His tender care, we will find Him faithful to respond to our prayers and to calm our spirits in the midst of loss, pain, and uncertainty.  As He rejuvenates us through His gracious loving-kindness, our distress will melt away, [2] and our insecurity will vanish as He gives us spiritual eyes to see the walls of His fortress that surround and protect us.[3]

As His precious children, we need not refrain from seeking the Lord’s solace until tragedy hits us.  We need not wait until faced with the imminent death of a loved one, danger to our children, betrayal from a friend, financial devastation, or attack on our country, for our Father does not reserve His comfort for times of stinging sorrow and intense anxiety.  Rather He takes account of the smallest injury to our hearts, putting our tears in a bottle lest they fall to the ground unnoticed.[4]  He knows our distress before we do, and He has infinite compassion for us.  Therefore, when we pray to Him, we have assurance that He will console and help us in our grievances, deep or shallow.[5]

Bring your wounded heart to the Lord, and as your focus shifts from the transitory to the eternal, His healing balm will soothe and comfort you.  Go to Him expectantly, and you will find solace in knowing that in the fullness of time, the Lord will reveal things more glorious than your heart could ask for or desire, the things that He has prepared for those who love Him.[6]

One touch and He makes all things right

For brokenness cannot withstand

The healing flow, restoring sight

From just one touch of the Master’s hand

One word and walls come crumbling down

Mountains move and oceans part

All created things must obey the sound

Of one word spoken from the Master’s heart

One glimpse and fear must depart

Into the Sea of Worthless Things

Light pervades what once was dark

From the radiance that one glimpse brings

One mind comforted, at ease

One heart relieved of suffering

Trusting He in whom it believes

Resting in the arms of our Dayspring

[1] Matthew 26:36-39

[2] Psalm 31:7

[3] Psalm 9:9-10

[4] Psalm 56:8

[5] 2 Kings 20:5

[6] 1 Corinthians 2:9