THE COMFORTER

By Dr. Eric C. Stumpf, Senior Pastor

St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church – Munster, IN

1 Samuel 1:1-20 + Pentecost +

10 & 11 May 2008

            How are you?  Fine, is the usual and polite reply, even though at times we are far from “fine”.  You might want to say instead, “I’m depressed, I’m sad, I’m lonely, I can’t eat, I’m sleepy all the time, I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders.”

            Dr. Dale Meyer, President of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, once referred to a book, “Happiness Is a Choice,” by Minirth & Meier.  In it one finds “depression is a vague term.  Laymen use it to describe a wide spectrum of behavior – anything from a mild swing of mood to psychosis.  Who gets depressed?  At some point in life, nearly everyone does!  One strong contention, however, is that suffering from the emotional pains of a clinical depression is a totally unnecessary, totally avoidable experience.  To avoid it, one must choose happiness as a way of life and follow the right path to obtain it.”

            Today I would like to go to Holy Scripture to be instructed by God to see the path He lays before us so we might have the blessing of happiness.  The person is Hannah who showed signs of such depression.  God showed her a way whereby God overcame this depression and brought her happiness.

Hannah

            A man by the name of Elkanah had two wives.  Elkanah was a pious and godly man, but his polygamy was wrong and it made for grievous family problems.  Elkanah’s one wife was Peninnah, who had children.  Peninnah had a sinful habit of provoking and upsetting Elkanah’s other wife, Hannah, who had no children.  Peninnah’s words and taunting were like a knife in Hannah’s heart, slowly twisting it day after day, month after month, year after year.

            How would you feel?  You would probably react like a normal human being and get depressed.  Listen to the description of her depression.  This went on year after year.  Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.  Elkanah, her husband, would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping?  Why don’t you eat?  Why are you downhearted?  Don’t I mean more to you than 10 sons?”  (vss 7-8)  A major symptom of depression is sadness or moodiness.  A person suffering this has a sad face.  This person looks depressed, feels like crying, their eyes are down cast.  Another symptom of depression is the appetite is affected, either eating too much or usually too little.  Elkannah tried to cheer her up, but depressed people, according to Minirth & Meier “feel blue, sad, helpless, worthless, and hopeless…He is preoccupied with himself.”

            Can you sympathize with Hannah?  Do you ever struggle with those feelings of depression and loneliness?  Are happiness and joy gone out of your life?  Do you feel you will never be happy again?

Peace

            God’s word tells us how Hannah received happiness.  Hannah stood up and went to the temple of the Lord.  God gives these directions elsewhere.  Seek peace and pursue it.  The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry. (Ps. 34:14-15)  Perhaps you may recall a favorite hymn which says, “Oh, what peace we often forfeit;  Oh, what needless pain we bear – All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer.” (LSB 770:1)  Hannah went to God with her feelings.  Listen to what happened. (Read 1 Sam 1:9-17)  From this we learn some very important things for our life.

            First, go to God and He’ll deal with your feelings.  Eli said, Go in peace.  Under the care and protection of God, you can know the good that God gives, a good that passes all understanding.  Our Father wants His children to have His full peace.

            Second, God does this because of Christ.  Jesus’ death for our sins covers the sins and guilt in our life.  When your sins are forgiven, and they are forgiven by the blood of Christ, the cost that no human being could ever afford or pay, you are free from sins deadly curse, you are free to have peace in the name of Jesus.  God’s Holy Word again brings us good news…we have redemption, namely the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:14)  Because Jesus has earned forgiveness, you can also successfully wage battle against our feelings of guilt, Now no condemnation remains for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom 8:1)

            Third, this can be of great encouragement for those dealing with depression, we have an advocate, a counselor, a comforter who helps us in our deepest struggles.  Remember the account of Hannah?  In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord…Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard….  I am reminded of God’s promise of the Holy Spirit to those who struggle so deeply that words can’t express it.  Listen to Romans 8 (Read 8:26-27).  What encouragement for God’s people!  Hannah received that peace.  Later God answered her prayer with the gift of a son.  The child did not give her peace first, this she received from God.

            The Heavenly Father has peace for us.  Christ’s death and resurrection deals with the sin and guilt in our life.  God the Holy Spirit can lift us up even when we are too weak and tired to rise, He can search our hearts and intercede for us so we might have peace.

Psalms

            Dale Meyer and many others, including Martin Luther, and Jesus as well, turned to the Psalms for the peace our hearts need.  Psalm 42 is a favorite.  Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. A sample of Psalm 42, it shows us where peace may be found.  (Dale Meyer, The Lonely Battles of Hannah, TLH, Aug 16, 1992)

            This Mother’s Day I know of a member of St. Paul’s who was told her child has a brain tumor and it will be operated on tomorrow.  The real struggles of life are all around us; but, God’s peace is also around us, the victory of Christ is also around us, and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who knows our hearts and the needs we have, is around us.  We are acquainted with the Janik family.  Each Sunday we pray for Carrie Janik, the child who will have surgery tomorrow.  Our hearts not only go out to the mother Katrina and the father Ken, big brother Jacob, and to Carrie, but I would call on everyone of our members to lift them up in prayer this day, not only here collectively in church when we pray for them, but also in your home this evening, remembering the operation is Monday.  Pray for the peace that God alone gives and the promise we have in Romans 8:28, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

SDG