The Glory of Spiritual Nourishment

*A Note From Catherine: This blog post was written by our beloved Nigerian daughter, Gemma! Elizabeth Sunday, who we lovingly refer to as "Gemma", is a precious part of our family. We have known her since she was 5-years-old and now she is 23! In this post she shares a nugget of wisdom with us from her heart about the subtle ways we stiff-arm God. Gemma is perceptive, wise beyond her years, and a very deep thinker - these character qualities shine through in her writing. She writes to us from Jos, Nigeria, where she just began her senior year (whaaa?🎉) at the University there. She is studying economics and is at the top of her class. You will be blessed by her heart, her wisdom, and her vulnerability! We are praying about God's plans for her after undergrad. We hope (with all of our hearts) that the Lord will bring her here to be with us. We tried to bring her here for ungergrad, but it was not God's timing. We will trust him for the future. Thank you for being here!

My stomach was completely empty. It had been almost a whole day since I had last gotten something to eat. My stomach growled loudly as I turned over to grab my Bible from the basket on the floor right next to me. A few cockroaches sped away into the cracks in the wall. The Bible fell open to chapter four of Philippians, my eyes scanned the text quickly and rested on verse nineteen:

“And my God will supply EVERY need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” 

I hissed in exasperation as I slammed the Bible shut. Really, God? Like seriously? Is this supposed to comfort me? I’m hungryyy (😭), I don’t need all the glorious riches, what I really want is a bowl of rice! I buried my face and cried into the pillow until sleep welcomed me into her cold embrace.

I wonder how many other brothers and sisters in Christ, like myself, blatantly reject the Father’s love and comfort in their time of need. There are several ways in which we do so…

*but first...hang on, because I want to point out that most of the ways we reject the Father's love and comfort do not involve us literally shaking our fists at God, they are often much more subtle yet equally dangerous. It can look like:

1. Doubt and Unbelief

When we struggle to believe God’s promises, we demonstrate a lack of faith in the Almighty’s ability to comfort and care for us. This lack of trust in Jehovah Jireh may lead us to reject the comfort He freely offers us in abundance. In Psalm 23, David expresses deep comfort in God’s presence pointing out that He provides for us and guides us even in difficult times. 

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.” 

2. Self-reliance

Choosing to rely solely on one’s own strength and capabilities may dim our constant need of the Father’s comfort. This independence can lead to feelings of isolation, depression and anxiety thus making us push away the comfort Jesus provides in His Word. Matthew 11:28 invites us,

”Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

The Lord is asking you to give Him all your problems, remember that He laid down His life for you! 

3. Avoidance of Prayer 

Prayer is communication with God. By choosing not to go to God in prayer, we forfeit the comfort that comes from that sweet fellowship. Prayer is a crucial way in which we communicate our needs and receive His peace.  In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Paul addresses God as,

“the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God.”

4. Ignoring Scripture 

The Bible is filled with many promises of comfort, support, and encouragement that every Christian needs to survive in this world…can you imagine not having the Bible at all? When we neglect the reading and meditation of Scripture, we overlook God’s comfort offered to us through His word. In Revelation 21:4, God promises to wipe the tears from our eyes and all the things that scare us as human beings (pain, death, mourning, etc) 

“…For the old order of things has passed away.”

My friend, how often do you refuse to be comforted by God? How often, like myself, do you wriggle out of His embrace to find solace in temporary solutions to your problems? Do you run to a friend's thinking that maybe a little gossip will help? Are you escaping to a bar to drink the sorrow, rage, or anxiety away? Or maybe…a little sleepover at your significant other’s will numb that ache inside? Whatever bit of pseudo-comfort derived from these for-the-moment activities is fleeting. Therefore, they are usually not worthwhile. Recognizing these tendencies we have can be the first step in helping us open our hearts to the comfort that God desperately wants to lavish on us. 

From my little story at the beginning, of course, manna didn’t fall outside for me to go pick up. Neither did quails mysteriously fly into the room where I was at. I did go physically hungry for a time, however, after waking up from that dreamless sleep, I went to my God in prayer. Surprisingly I was drawn to pray more for others who were hungry other than myself, I had gone for a few hours without food, but some people rarely ever found food on a regular basis. While physical food wasn't always available, there was also a dire need for everlasting food – salvation. It was in that place of prayer that I found the comfort I desperately needed. 

Dear friend, Jesus offers complete healing and a more-than-perfect solution to all your problems!

❤️ Gemma