“Commander in Chief and Commander in Comfort”
September 23, 2021
While watching hours of documentaries on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, former President George W. Bush, and current President Joseph R. Biden were repeatedly referenced to as Commander in Chief. The president’s role, during times of war, including war on terror, is clearly that of the Commander in Chief of the military. George W. Bush was called upon to fulfill that role during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on our nation. Now, it is President Biden’s role and it is a daunting one to say the least!
However, one documentary I watched showed former President Bush comforting people during his visit to ground zero three days after the attacks. The commentator mentioned that not only was the President the Commander in Chief, but he also was called upon to be the Commander in Comfort as he met with the first responders at ground zero. Imagine the responsibilities involved with both of those titles. What are the right decisions to make in order to protect the nation? What are the right words to say in order to express the proper concern for broken hearts?
The reference to the President as the Commander in Comfort immediately brought to mind the many names of God! Throughout Scripture, our heavenly Father is referred to by many names, each of which reveal something about His character and how He relates to humanity.
Some of God’s names reveal that He is a Commander in Chief and Commander in Comfort in His own right. God is referred to as “LORD of hosts” over 200 times in the Old Testament. The word hosts means “armies” and it is a reference to the angelic armies of heaven. God is the Commander in Chief of all armies, both spiritual and earthly.
6“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.—Nehemiah 6:9
As we continue to read through Scripture, we also see that God is known as the “God of all Comfort”.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.—2 Corinthians 1:3-4
The Apostle Paul makes it clear that God is the Source of every comfort in all of our affliction. Oftentimes God will place other believers in our path to weep with us and to help us when we need comforting. However, God is our ultimate Comforter to whom we always need to turn. He always knows the right decision to make and the right words to say.
God is the ultimate Commander in Chief and Commander in Comfort! He can heal our wounds, encourage us, and build us up, even in the midst of the most horrific tragedies of this world.