Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! The tears of the oppressed,
But they have no comforter—On the side of their oppressors there is power, But they have no comforter. Ecclesiastes 4: 1, NKJV.
Heavenly Father, as we look around our world there is so much pain. But Your Word informs us that there is a Comforter available. Please help us to invite Him into our lives, for He is waiting to comfort us. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
It is difficult to turn on the television and not become depressed. For every bit of “good” news, there are no less than seven large portions of heartbreaking news. Injustice seems to be the order of the day. You either promote it or you speak out against it with the possibility of becoming a victim of it, or so it seems.
Listen to another description of the situation in the world: “Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, iniquity was there” (3: 16).
One could ask: “Is there no place where ‘judgment’ and ‘righteousness’ prevails?” Is it always going to be the oppressor and the oppressed?
What is interesting about our text for today is the fact that even the oppressors are in need of a Comforter. They have the power to oppress, but they are void of comfort. Is it any small wonder that the wise man concluded: “all is vanity”?
But wait, there is Good News. Shortly before Jesus went back to His Father He said: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the [Comforter] will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16: 7-11).
Yes dear friends, there is a Comforter available! And He is working in the world, on the very issues that seem to be completely out of control: sin, righteousness (right doing) and judgment (justice). Let us invite Him into our lives and share Him with those who do not know Him; that we may be channels of right doing in the world, and help others as well as ourselves to have peace in the midst of life’s storms!