Comfort Food for the Soul
A Word of Comfort with Elizabeth Rice Handford
Yesterday morning our youngest son lost his precious wife to cancer. No matter how long I have been a Christian, and no matter how sure I am that we will see her again in Heaven, I am grieved by the terrible loss. She was such a lovely person; her sweet spirit was a delight to all of us who knew her. And now we must wait until God’s plans for us are fulfilled to meet her again.
Daughter Ruth came to comfort me. She brought me my special comfort food (a fish sandwich from McDonalds). But she also gave me comfort food for my soul. She played Carrie Underwood’s beautiful recording of “Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling.” It’s such an old hymn you may not be familiar with it:
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching, watching for you and for me.
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading, pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies, mercies for you and for me?
Come home, come home, You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling, O sinner, come home!
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing, passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming, coming for you and for me.
Oh, for the wonderful love He has promised, promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon, pardon for you and for me.
Come home, come home, You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling, O sinner, come home!
Words by Will L. Thompson, 1880, (public domain)
The words of this song come from Mark 10:46-52: “A blind beggar named Bartimaeus was sitting beside the road as Jesus was going by. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus from Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’
“‘Be quiet!’ some of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’
“When Jesus heard him, He stopped and said, ‘Tell him to come here.’ So they called the blind man. ‘Cheer up,’ they said. ‘Come on, He’s calling you!’
“Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ Jesus asked.
“‘Teacher,’ the blind man said, ‘I want to see!’
“And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way. Your faith has healed you.'”
I cannot guess what comfort food for the soul you need. Whatever it is, believe that the words of this song are directly from God, and be comforted by them. Jesus is earnestly, tenderly calling you home.