Text: John 14:16-18

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;  17 Even the Spirit of truth;  whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:  but ye know him;  for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless:  I will come to you.  

Monday, 5^th August 2024

THE HOLY SPIRIT COMFORTS US

Text: John 14:16-18

Memory verse: John 14: 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as our comforter that will be with us, not limited to time, but as he was with Him 2000 years age, so is he with us today and to the end of the world. How amazing to think that no matter what we go through, the most powerful source of comfort we could ever want is always available to us. To comfort is “to give strength and hope to, to cheer; to ease the grief or trouble of, to console.” Whether we need encouragement, strength, consoling, or hope, it’s always there for us through the Holy Spirit.

When I was a young child, I was very close to my extended family especially Uncle Josiah who was my father’s closest brother. Uncle Josiah was not in the village with us but often made out time to come visit my father in the village to get together.  We visit their homes in the village and other times they would visit ours each time they return.  Without a doubt, I was genuinely thrilled when we would experience a visit from other of our aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Few things excited me more. I remember one visit during Christmas when quite a few family members were arriving at once for a holiday, and this Uncle Josiah was the first to arrive.  As their car pulled out to park, I started running down our road to greet them.  Unfortunately, I lost my balance and fell face forward before reaching their car.  Somehow, my face managed to remain uninjured, but my knees were all cut up and covered with gravel and dirt.  I know childhood in general is a time of scraped knees, but this scraping was especially painful. As I pulled myself up off the ground, I remember standing there frozen and unsure about what to do next.  Almost immediately, Uncle Josiah and the wife brought me into the house, cleaned up my wounds, and brought me comfort until I was able to calm down.

Do you have a few people in your life who offer you comfort when you need it?  At this season of my life, my wife serves that role for me.  There have been quite a few times when I am feeling anxious, angry, or sad, and she made a point to help talk me through what I am wrestling with.  On one occasion, and I still don’t know how she did this, she rubbed the back of my neck with her fingers for a few moments and I fell fast asleep.  I’m still trying to figure out how that worked.

The Lord knows our lives are filled with stressful and challenging moments.  He is fully aware that there will be seasons that will stress us out or discourage us.  He also knows that there will be people and circumstances that will test your faith or come against you because you’re a follower of Jesus.  For those reasons and many others, we are assured that the Holy Spirit will be with us and will offer us His divine comfort. What does the Scripture reveal to us about the Holy Spirit’s ministry of comfort?  How is He comforting us?  In what areas should we expect to observe His comforting ministry at work? Check it out in our next devotionals.

CGDS Hymn 9; SS&S 577:

I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR

1. I need Thee every hour,

Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine

Can peace afford.

Refrain

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee ;

Every hour I need Thee ;

Oh, bless me now, my Saviour !

I come to Thee.

2. I need Thee every hour,

Stay Thou near by ;

Temptations lose their power

When Thou art nigh.

3. I need Thee every hour,

In joy or pain ;

Come quickly and abide,

Or life is vain.

4. I need Thee every hour ;

Teach me Thy will ;

And Thy rich promises

In me fulfil.

5. I need Thee every hour,

Most Holy One :

Oh, make me Thine indeed,

Thou blessed Son.

 Prayers

1.  Lord Jesus, comfort me by Your Spirit always and make me to extend the same comfort to men.

2.  LORD God Almighty, I refuse to live my life comfortless without the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name. Amen.    

3.  Pray for others in this regard.