05/22/2026
From the Pastor’s Pen May 24, 2026
“Thank God I Have A Comforter”
Ecclesiastes 4:1 “So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.”
The book of Ecclesiastes is a book contextually speaking of man UNDER the sun (In his natural life). Many cults pull statements from this book of the Bible and make those statements Bible doctrine (i.e. Jehovah’s Witnesses erroneously teach that there is no hell and that hell is the grave, Ecc. 3:20, Ecc. 9:10). That is what makes this text verse so wonderful. To take our text verse and make a Bible doctrine out of it would completely distort other teachings in scripture, which I will show soon. Though many times in life UNDER the sun dealing WITH man, we have no one to comfort us in our daily oppressions, but thank God IN Christ I do have a COMFORTER!
Under the sun (Phrase mentioned 29 times in the book of Ecclesiastes) there are many oppressions done to us (i.e. Exploitation, manipulation, violence, death, world, flesh, Devil, abuse, psychological attacks, etc.). Because of these oppressions by an outside power greater than we, many tears flow and many hearts break and UNDER THE SUN, there is no comforter! How many times have you suffered oppression and nothing anyone did comforted you in your situation? Oppressors who have power going against a pilgrim in this world with no power on top of no comforter leaves many people in a state of hopelessness and abandonment (48,000+ deaths from su***de a year. 1 su***de death every 11 minutes). In a world with “no hope, Eph. 2:12” I am thankful to be saved by the grace of God and have THE COMFORTER abiding in me who reminds me of MY HOPE constantly “I Tim. 1:1”!
If you are saved by the grace of God, I want you to realize that you have something the lost world does not have. We do not have to consume drugs, intake alcohol, addict ourselves to a vice or drift our mind out with psychedelics to obtain “comfort”! We have the Holy Ghost of God living in us who is our COMFORTER. John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;”. HALLELUJAH! John 14:18 “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” We must understand that the Lord Jesus sent down the Holy Spirit when He went up to Heaven to PERMANENTLY abide in all who get saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:1-4, Eph. 4:30). Four times in John’s gospel the Holy Ghost is said to be our Comforter (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:7). A comforter is “One who administers comfort or consolation; one who strengthens and supports the mind in distress or danger”. This means until the day I die, I have within me the PERSON of the Holy Spirit to strengthen, calm, comfort and console me in times of oppression and danger, GLORY!
In Acts 9:31 the early believers were walking in the “comfort of the Holy Ghost” and our God is called “the God of all comfort, II Cor. 1:3”. If our early brethren could walk in that comfort in constant persecution, surely we can! Why? WE HAVE THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT IN US! The Holy Spirit can give us the peace of God that passes all understanding and put us in that state of ease and rest free from worry, grief, fear, pain and struggle. How do we get it? We go BOLDLY TO THE THRONE OF GRACE, (Heb. 4:14-16, Phil. 4:5-7). My brother and sister, take advantage of the comfort ready and available to you in times of distress! If you are lost and trying to comfort your worried and hurting mind and soul, come to Jesus Christ for salvation and Christ will always be in you to comfort you! (Col. 1:27).
Pastor Austin Vestrand
