“Comfort the feeble-minded”-II Thess. 5:14.

This man fell an easy prey to the Giant Slay-good. He was attacked on Assault Lane, and the giant began to pick his pockets with intent, next, to pick his bones. It was Great-heart who rescued him from the giant. Feeble-mind was pale and sickly. He lived in the town of Uncer­tainty, Retardation County. There he was always in jeopardy. Death knocked on his door once a day. At that rate he felt that he might just as well be on his way to a better place. This is how he decided on becoming a pilgrim. Who put that thinking in his weak mind? Proverbs 16:1 will reveal. There was a great deal of his home town about this man. There was also something of Mr. Fearing about him, for he was related to that man, an uncle of his, whom he resembled, especially in his whitish complexion. He had no strength of body or mind, yet was bravely determined to the pilgrim’s life, concerning which he said, “I am fixed” to run it (when he could, which was only downhill), to walk when he could not run, and to crawl when he could not walk (which for him seemed to be most of the way. When the Hill Difficulty proved too hard for him, he was kindly carried up by one who did not mind the added burden.

There is quite a contrast in Mr. Feeble-mind over against a contemporary of his, a Mr. Not-right. The latter was definitely not feeble-minded, yet he was then one who was not-right-in-the-head. For Mr. Feeble-mind, a true, though weak pilgrim, was right! He was right in head and heart and soul. But the other “pilgrim”, a proud intellectual, and an enemy to the faith, was Not-right! He was not only “far out”, but far wrong.

Scan the line of pilgrims on The Way and you find Feeble-mind, by reason of his many infirmities, plodding along in the rear. He wouldn’t be a drag on anyone. Of a weak mind, he feared he would be offended and made weaker at what others could bear. He did not care much for laughing, nor for bright attire. He was offended at that which others had liberty to do. So he was not very comfortable at marriage ceremonies, wedding receptions or times of festivity with his stronger brethren. He frankly confessed himself a weak, ignorant Christian. To see and hear others rejoice in the Lord annoyed him, since he could not bring himself to do so. He was a Mr. Ready-to-slip (Job 12:5). Taking up the rear as he did, he felt more at home in the company of Mr. Ready-to- halt (Ps. 38:17), who, rather than part with his feeble friend, offered him one of his crutches. This he declined, and not entirely without a sense of humor, for as he said, though he was often shaky on his feel, he was not inclined to limp before he was lame. He was faithful, if not very capable, and willing to stand guard with helpless women and children while the Giant Despair and Doubting Castle were under siege to their destruction. Celebrat­ing this great victory, even Feeble -mind, with Ready-to-halt, could be “very jocund and merry.” What is disappointing in this pilgrim is his aptness to fear and doubt of God’s goodness. But in the end, no one can help but love a man whose last words are, “Hold out, Faith and Patience!”

“Comfort the feeble-minded.” Such is the Lord’s command, but how? With medi­cines? yes, if administered under trust­worthy, competent authority. With drugs? yes, if warranted, although too often reliance on drugs proves both useless and detrimental. As for a psychiatrist, more likely than not the first thing ordered would be a handful of heavy drugs to weaken the senses of an already weak mind. What should be first is a recognition that the mentally weak and retarded suffer a misery which incapacitates them for clear thought and best action, disturbing their mental equilibrium and filling them with fears, anguish of spirit and exasperation. Recognize also that you cannot reason them out of their subjective fantasies or objective miseries into a better mind. Further, they who suffer this misery are to be treated with tenderness and compassion, remembering that we all are exposed to many infirmities, each having enough of his own. Therefore, harsh language will never benefit a friend with this deficiency. Sin may and should be pointed out, and dealt with uncom­promisingly, but that is always a matter of speaking the truth in love. When listening to friends in this condition of mind, it will be well to show sympathy based on under­standing of man’s misery in general and their misery in particular. The misery of broken bones leaves one short of his usual physical powers and capabilities, so that it would be worse than useless to require the performance of usual actions. Yet there are actions, in therapy, rightly demanded to aid in quicker recovery, or in maintaining a certain level of health. What the saint of I Thess. 5:14 needs is not rigid military discipline, nor anything which requires close and intent thinking, but comfort which is mentally and spiritually restive.

Today, in many circles, it is the popular thing to blame many of these physical and mental miseries on the devil. As a result, some of these “little ones” are led to believe that what they suffer is from the devil, that they are demon-possessed, or even oppressed by a demon. It is true that the devil has been an agent in producing some diseases (cp. Job), especially as he is able to harass and disturb the mind to such a degree that the body is made to suffer. The devil knows, too, how to work on weak minds, hurling his fiery darts and causing terrible annoyances, to say the very least. But even the great mighty dragon is helpless before a prayerful Feeble-mind, and even he is capable of learning that the devil is bad enough as he is by nature and deed without blaming him for things of which he is not and cannot be guilty. Even he is capable of learning with a certain amount of under­standing and submission that the clay has been formed the way it has been formed by the Potter because “so it seemed good in Thy sight!”

Dealing with such a person, don’t be surprised at what he might say or do. Don’t be surprised if he does not care much for laughing or feasting. Are you surprised at some of the things that Job said? or that the beloved David said? The former had said, “My soul is weary of my life.” The latter said, “I am weary with my groaning: all the night I make my bed to swim, I water my couch with my tears.” These saints were really physically and mentally sick and weak, though it be put temporarily. With Feeble-mind, it was for life—permanent. It would be a great weakness, inexcusably so, not to bear sympathetically, empathetically, under­standing with a weakened David or Job. So you will probably have to avoid merri­ment in their presence. But don’t think it needless to talk with them. Be frank and serious, yet easy in bearing, manner and conversation.

Don’t tell them frightening stories of the terrible disasters of others. But you very well may tell them of others in similar case having experienced the Lord’s goodness, care and deliverances. Remember, it was David who called himself Ready-to-halt and Job who called himself Ready-to-slip. Tell them how Job and David found a sympathetic High Priest and Comforter in the sovereign Savior who sits and reigns over all at the right hand of the majesty of high.

The word for “feeble-minded” means literally “to be of little soul.” The feeble­minded may be full-bodied, but they are small-souled. They just have not de­veloped normally mentally. Spiritually, they are far in advance of and beyond the intellectual giant who, in effect, says, “Who is the Lord? I will not to know Him! I ignore Him!” But know that “the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?” (Prov. 18:11). Comfort such a spirit with, “thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isa. 57:15). Comfort them with, “I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strength­en that which was sick” (Ezek. 34:16). “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, ’Be strong! fear not! behold, your God will come…He will come and save you!’” (Isa. 35:3, 4).