"I will not leave you comfortless"

Today Megs and I had a wonderful opportunity to speak in a sacrament meeting at the Logan Rehabilitation Center. I went through several topics as I was preparing my talk, but none of them seemed quite right. Then came to my mind one of my favorite scriptures, from a picture of Christ that hung on my bedroom wall when I was a teenager: "I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you." So many times in my life I have seen that promise fulfilled, I who have suffered so little and been blessed so greatly. I hoped that I could adequately share that message with people who are truly suffering. I know that I do not understand what they are going through, and that perhaps they do not understand why they must suffer so. I found a wonderful talk by Gene R. Cook that expressed many of the feelings that I wished to share. It is titled "The Love of God: Suffering Tribulation in the Redeemer's Name"
(Here is a link to the talk: http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=8676)

As I sat in the room before the meeting and looked at those wonderful, faithful, elderly people, I asked the Lord to help me. I was filled with a great love for them, and a sense of compassion for their suffering. Compassion is not something that comes easy to me (Ask Megs......) I am often too analytical, too detached. Today the Lord opened my heart and blessed me, helping me to love those to whom I was to speak by helping me sense what they were suffering. And because of that love I desired with all my heart to share with them His love, and his promise to "leave them not comforless". He is the Master Healer, the Good Shepherd. He does know his sheep. He knows us by name. And He will send the comforter unto us, to give us remembrance of brighter days, happier times, and blessings received. He will help us find President Monsons "June Roses in the Decembers of our lives". He alone knows fully what we suffer, and why we sometimes must suffer. And He, the Lord of all the universe, the creator of worlds without number, will keep His promise, He will not leave us comfortless! He will take us in his arms, as a little child, calm our fears, and then lead us into our eternal home, to inherit celestial glory with our families.
I could not hold back the tears as I spoke (hardly can I now as I remember) because once again I was reassured that He knows me, and that He knows them, and no matter the present difficulties, that all will be well.