Since the garden in Eden, God has longed for fellowship with the very people He created (Genesis 3:8). In fact, one of the great reasons God desires for people to learn to communicate with others is so they can, in turn, understand how to better communicate with Him. Communication with God takes place in two major forms. Man communicates with God through prayer. Prayer can take place simply within one’s heart or verbally but can only be accomplished when a man conveys his thoughts or concerns to the Lord. God, on the other hand, communicates with man through the scriptures. Before Eve, communication existed between a man (Adam) and his God. Even in eternity, it appears that the greatest form of communication will exist between God and the redeemed.
God comforts believers expecting that they, in turn, will extend that heaven-sent comfort toward others during their times of need. Believers are admonished to “comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, and be patient toward all men” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Stronger believers are encouraged to bear the infirmities of those who are weak (Romans 15:1). When one believer weeps as a result of the trials and troubles of this life, the body of Christ should weep with that brother or sister (Romans 12:15). Every member of the body of Christ should be available to the strengthening and support of other members of the body, for in doing so, believers fulfil the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
The world places a premium on the concept of living comfortably. For instance, people desire comfortable clothes, comfortable beds, comfortable cars, comfortable furniture, etc. The list is unending. There are even foods designated as “comfort foods.” Yet, with this great emphasis upon comfort, the world seems to experience so little of true comfort. So, what exactly is comfort? Why is speaking of comfort so trendy and yet so hard to achieve? The word comfort is easily defined by breaking it down into two parts: com and fort. The prefix com means “with” and the word fort means “strength.” Simply put, comfort involves a strength that a person can carry with him. Immediately, every Christian should recognize that very little true comfort exists in this world. True comfort stems from the Lord and not that offered outside of Him.
Our verbal communications involve the words that spring forth from our mouths. No doubt, the Lord considers these communications important and we should too. In today’s passage, the Lord gave some specific insights concerning His expectations of our communication. First, He wants our communication to be short and to the point – “let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay” (Matthew 5:37; see also Proverbs 10:19; Ecclesiastes 5:3, 7). Second, our word should be validated without the necessity of certifying it with vows, oaths, and swearing. In the context of the passage, the Lord Jesus forbade swearing “by heaven” (Matthew 5:34), “by the earth” (Matthew 5:35), or “by thy head” (Matthew 5:36). When we swear by these things, we put ourselves in danger of condemnation (James 5:12). Let your nay be nay and your yea be yea!
