2025 인터넷 사역 한국으로 다섯째날을 뒤돌아보면서 하나님께 감사드리는 이유: 1. 하늘에 계신 우리 하나님 아버지께서 우리 자녀들을 어느 누구보다 사랑하고 계시기에 2. 하나님이 사랑하시는 어린아이들과 주님의 사랑으로 즐겁게 교제할 수 있었기에 3. 비록 돈은 좀 많이 뜯겼지만 사랑하는 아이들과 장난치고 팔씨름하고 농담하고 웃고 사진도 같이 찍고 포용까지 하였기에 ㅎ 4. 주님께서 사랑의 추억을 또 만들어 주셨기에 5. 사랑하는 멘토 목사님 부부에게 귀하고 크고 찐한 사랑을 받아서 6. 비록 1년에 한번씩 밖에 직접 만나 볼수밖에 없지만 성령님께서 주님 안에서 사랑의 마음을 조금이나마 서로에게 표현할 수 있게 해주셔서 7. 비록 그 사랑의 표현을 겸손히 감사하는 마음으로 받지 못할 수도 있다 할지라도 그 사랑의 마음만은 찐하게 감사하기에 8. 평생 처음으로 인터넷 사역 한국으로를 감당하면서 달리기 100미터를 10초에 뛴 것 같은 느낌이 들정도였지만 추격자를 따 돌리는데 성공한 도망자가 된 것 같았기에 ㅎㅎ 9. 우리 각 가정에 고충들이 있다 할지라도 주님께서 도와주셔서 화목케하고 계시기에 10. 보고 또 보고 싶은 사랑의 사랑하는 사람들로 인해 마음이 더욱더 부자가 되었기에. 하하.
A mourner who refuses to be comforted
"So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, "Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son." So his father wept for him" (Genesis 37: 34-35).
There was a grandmother in our church who lost her three children before her death. Her husband died early and had all three of her six children died when there were adults. The last son who died at the age of 56 years died as he was sleeping at her apartment living room. I still remember that moment when her son died. She was wailing and telling me, "Pastor, Pastor". I cannot forget what she said to me after her son’s funeral service: 'Pastor, I am resentful to God.' I cannot imagine how much her heart was aching when I saw her wailing after losing her adult son. I am sure we cannot fully understand the parents' hearts of losing their beloved child. I am sure that a mother’s pain and a father’s pain are different. The problem is that no one can comfort the hearts of the parents who lost their children. Of course, the beloved family members, the relatives, the friends will try to comfort the parents who lost their children but that parents will refuse to be comforted because their hearts are so painful.
Jacob in Genesis 37: 34-35 was like that. He refused to be comforted by his sons who tried to comfort him. The reason his sons tried to comfort Jacob was because Jacob was mourning for his son Joseph (v. 34) whom he loved more than all his sons (v. 3) because Jacob thought that Joseph had been devoured by a wild beast (v. 33). In other words, Jacob refused to be comforted by his other sons when he was mourning for his beloved son Joseph’s death. How painful was Jacob’s heart that he refused to be comforted by his sons? This extreme suffering can only be comforted by the Holy Spirit. In other words, there is a mourning that can only be comforted by God, for which man cannot comfort. And that mourning is the death of a beloved child. The pain of separation on this earth with beloved child can only be comforted by God. That’s why we are praying to God. There is nothing much we can do except praying to God to comfort those parents who lost their children. In doing so, God will answer our prayer and show mercy to those parents who lost their children by comforting their mournful hearts. Not only that, God will strengthen and hold them so that they can endure the great sorrow, pain and suffering and will overcome them. And through all this process, God will manifest His glory. As a result, we will see the beauty of Christians through our brothers and sisters in Christ.
There are many people around us who need comfort. There are a lot of beloved brothers and sisters in Christ around us who are in pain, sorrow and suffering. And God wants to use us His instrument to comfort them. Therefore, we should pray to God so that we can be used as a comforting instrument of God in order to comfort them rather than be comforted. In particular, we must acknowledge that we have brothers and sisters in Christ who are mourning whom we cannot comfort. So we should pray for them quietly and earnestly before God. In doing so, the Holy Spirit God will comfort them, and they will be able to comfort the mourners even in such painful situations.
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