"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18
I love words. I love the nuances of words. I love our language. Unlike most folks I met in grad school, I enjoyed writing papers. I loved to find exactly the right word to convey the precise meaning of what I was trying to say.
That might be why I so enjoy reading different versions of the Bible. Words in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic can be difficult to translate. I look at this verse, for example. Most versions use the word “orphans”. The King James version says, “I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.”
I searched the New Amplified Bible and found that there are several words that can be used in the place of “comfort.”
I will not leave you as orphans.
I will not leave you comfortless.
I will not leave you desolate.
I will not leave you bereaved.
I will not leave you forlorn.
I will not leave you helpless.
All followed by, I will come to you.
Do you feel orphaned by the world? Do you feel as if there is no comfort for you? Do you feel desolate, bereaved, forlorn, or helpless.
I know my physical limitations have left me feeling all of those feelings at one point or another. But God provides promises for us to stand upon! He said in each, “I WILL NOT leave you …. “ And end with “I WILL come to you.” (Emphasis mine.).
So, dear readers, in those dark days, in those painful days, hold on to His promise. When we need Him, He promises to come. He does not promise to take it all away. He knows the reason behind all that is happening and our faith calls us to trust. But look at that magnificent promise!! I will come to you. The Lord God, the maker of the universe, is not some distant far off entity who created this world and stood back. No. The same Lord God, promises that He cares and that He will come to us. He will not leave us to face our trials alone. Praise His name!
Lord God, I am overwhelmed by the caring concern You have for us. You have granted us so many promises if only we look to them and hold them close in our heart. Thank you for all you are doing in our lives, Lord, even though being thankful can sometimes be the furthest thing from our mind – if we put our eyes upon you, we have hope. Amen and Amen, Lord. So be it!