16And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— [simple_tooltip content=’16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.’](John 14:16-17)[/simple_tooltip]
Again, Jesus said these things to His disciples so they would not be offended or cast down when He was crucified and buried. Now He is telling them about the Holy Spirit who is the Comforter. The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is the front line of defense against the devil and his devices of defeat. The phrase, “the God of all comfort” [simple_tooltip content=’Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,’](2 Cor. 1:3)[/simple_tooltip], carries the idea of a divine comforter who encourages, refreshes, strengthens, aids, assists, and is an ever-present help in the time of need.
The ways God chooses to comfort are not always the same. In a tough situation He may deliver you, remove the cause of the affliction, or comfort and strengthen you to endure it, giving you hope for the future. He may send other believers to share their faith by prophesying, fellow laborers who will serve and strengthen you. He uses the body of Christ as a means to comfort you with exhortation and prayer. The point is that the source of all comfort is God, no matter what channel He chooses to use.
In [simple_tooltip content=’And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’]2 Corinthians 12:9[/simple_tooltip] God revealed to Paul that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Paul, who had experienced God’s comfort in a way that perhaps no other believer has, revealed how the Lord accomplished this. It was through the power of the Holy Spirit. True Christianity is not the absence of trials, but the strength and comfort that Jesus through the Holy Spirit will bring us through them.
You cannot withstand the pressures of everyday life apart from the comfort of the Holy Spirit. He is there to give you wisdom, courage, and compassion when you encounter all the difficulties of this life. He is also there to keep you humble when the victories come! For everything you need today, just look within you.
