When we feel the despair of sorrow, pain, or loss creeping into our soul and stealing our joy, the last thing that we sometimes feel like doing is sitting down and perusing the Bible. The frustration and grief feel too real, and reading seems too insufficient as a remedy.

But this is the wonder of God’s Word — when we are in the midst of affliction, it is only this Book, with its wonderful promises, startling standards, and exalted view of God, that can give us hope and help and healing. This is because God does not avoid the reality of our suffering, but rather infuses it with purpose and meaning. When we see that God is actively at work in his creation, and is molding his people into the image of his Son, then suddenly suffering takes on a silver lining.

May David’s comfort be your comfort, dear reader, in the midst of your affliction. May God’s Word quicken your crushed and despairing heart. May you see, in the pages of his epistle to you, that his love is just as true and full, his rule is just as good and powerful, and his wisdom is just as perfect and right in our times of affliction as it is in our times of prosperity.