"Consolation." There is music in that word. Like David's harp driving away Saul's dark spirit, it chases melancholy from the soul. It was a high honor for Barnabas to be called "the son of consolation." But that title belongs to one far greater than Barnabas, for the Lord Jesus himself is "the consolation of Israel."

"Everlasting consolation." Now here is the cream of it all! The eternity of this comfort is its crown and glory.

What exactly is this everlasting consolation? First, it includes the deep assurance of pardoned sin. A Christian has received in his heart the witness of the Spirit that his sins have vanished like morning mist, his rebellions scattered like storm clouds before the sun. Tell me, if sin is truly pardoned, is that not an everlasting consolation?

Next, the Lord gives his people a permanent sense of acceptance in Christ. The Christian knows that when God looks at him, God sees him standing in union with Jesus. This union with the risen Lord is a comfort that can never be shaken. It is, in fact, eternal.

Let sickness knock us flat. Haven't we seen hundreds of believers just as joyful in the weakness of disease as they ever were in full, blooming health? Let death's arrows pierce straight through the heart. Our comfort does not die! Haven't our ears heard the songs of saints rejoicing in their final moments because the living love of God was flooding their hearts? Yes! This sense of being accepted in the Beloved is an everlasting consolation.

And there's more. The Christian possesses a rock-solid conviction of his security. God has promised to save those who trust in Christ. The Christian does trust in Christ. And he believes that God will be as good as his word and will save him. He knows he is safe, bound up forever with the person and work of Jesus.