And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.
-John 14:16
This verse tells us that Jesus was a Comforter. Everyone who has given their hearts to Christ knows that. He has comforted us all.
Do you think ‘Comforter' is a strange word to use? Why not Leader or Commander? No! He preferred the term Comforter.
Jesus said He will pray to the Father. That prayer was answered. The Father gave the believer another Comforter when Jesus went to the cross. That Comforter is the Holy Spirit.
So, the question is, are you comforted? Do you live a comforted life? or do you live a life of strain, anguish and trouble? Are you stressed more often that at rest?
Do you wake up in the morning comforted, or depressed and troubled because of what lies before you in the day ?
God says to us, don't stress in life and never fear. Why does He think He can say this? Because He has given us the Comforter for that reason, to comfort us as the disturbances of life go through our heads; as we think the anxious thoughts; as we trouble our hearts in anxiety long before the actual troubles starts.
The Holy Spirit is saying exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29 — Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden, and I will comfort you; I will calm the storm in your mind and heart, and give you the peace which passes all understanding. Just lay your troubles at the foot of the cross and I will work within you to calm the waters. If we are not walking in the Spirit, then the trouble that is on the outside, becomes trouble that is now also on the inside.
When Christ calmed the troubled waters for the troubled disciples in the boat, He was providing us a very clear mind-image of exactly what can happen in an instant when we let the Holy Spirit take charge of the elements which affect our walk. Even in the storms of life — those times of extreme trial and hardship — there is a handover process which, if followed, will create the peace and reliance upon our Saviour that He is seeking from us.
The Holy Spirit can and will comfort us as we hand our troubled souls into His care.
Today’s prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the Holy Spirit, and thank you that I have someone who not only understands my troubles but can give me peace as I go through them. Please help me to rely more in the Holy Spirit and less on my own abilities.
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