It Soothes Our Sorrows
While seeking inspiration for this week's devotionals, 'How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds' kept coming to mind. To me it was the Lord's humour (as I will reveal throughout the week) if you don't think he has a sense of humour - tell him your plans for the day!
In the first 2 verses we can find 5 statements about the things that the name of Jesus can do, this week we shall consider each one:
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer's ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.
It makes the wounded spirit whole,
It calms the troubled breast;
'Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary rest.
When 'Songs of Praise' was filmed at St Matthews, in 2001, we sang this song; I didn't realise it was written by John Newton, author of my personal favourite 'Amazing Grace'. I'm sure you know his story, a violent, alcoholic slave-trader until the age of 23 when his ship, 'The Greyhound', encountered a violent storm and it seemed the ship would sink. In desperation, John cried out to God to save him. Amazingly to John, God did just that! The ship sustained severe storm damage over a two week period and was blown further off course, miraculously the storm abated and the ship limped into Lough Swilly, Co. Donegal - Newton stepped ashore a changed man and the rest is, indeed, a great part of history. I had the sheer joy of riding through here in August while touring with my sister.
So often it is through the gift of desperation we meet with Jesus. There is a lovely incident recorded in Matthew 14. Herod had had John the Baptist put to death. What were John's disciples to do?
"Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus"
Matthew 14: 12 [NIV]
They went and told Jesus. That was the best thing they could do in their sorrow.
In our own trials we're invited to go and tell Jesus. Like Newton, when we step onto God's turf we find He can indeed soothe our sorrows.
Dawn Milward
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