“The Comforter will continually be with you.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – January 8, 2023
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever— the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you. John 14:16-17, AMP
As I prepare to write this devotional, I want to cry, not tears of sadness but of gratitude. Since I came to the Lord thirty-four years ago, there have been many times when I have experienced the tender comfort of Christ through the Holy Spirit—but one time in particular has stayed with me for decades.
In my early twenties, I experienced an extremely difficult breakup that left my heart shattered into what felt like a million tiny pieces. I didn’t believe I would ever recover. Just a few years later, I met another young man I really liked, and I hoped our budding relationship would turn into a life-long commitment. But when he broke up with me, my heart was shattered once again. What is wrong with me? God, why aren’t you answering my prayers for a mate?
If I had been emotionally and spiritually healthy, I could have successfully navigated my new breakup with initial sadness, but would have recovered well.
But because I hated myself, I didn’t believe God truly cared about my romantic life, and because I didn’t think I could handle getting hurt again, this break up sent me into a very dark place.
The night my boyfriend came over to my house and called it off, I went to bed and wailed. I pounded my pillow and cried myself to sleep. Why won’t anyone love me? Like the Psalmist, I soaked my bed with tears (Psalm 6:6).
I fell asleep from emotional exhaustion and woke the next morning with an awareness that God had been with me all throughout the hours of the night. His presence was palpable. Only as I woke did I know He was with me. It felt as if a heavy blanket of comfort had covered my body and lay on me all throughout the night, wrapping me in tender love. And all night long, a thought was continually playing over and over in my mind, God is faithful. God is faithful. God is faithful. I wondered if an angel had been with me. I definitely sensed His Spirit.
Now that the years have passed and I have been able to reflect on my spiritually transformative experience, I see that the Lord showed up in such a powerful way because I needed that level of power at that time. His comfort overcame my pain; His love broke through my heartbreak.
What a wonderful God! What a comforting Lord!
In Scripture, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, will be continually with us. He knows us intimately, so He intimately knows what we need. He will never leave us alone. And when we need comfort in small—or large—amounts, He is there to give us what we need. He will never leave you as an orphan.
He is your ever-present Comforter. Amen and amen.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
Prayer
Lord, thank you for your presence that is with me through the Holy Spirit. Thank you that I am never alone. Thank you for your comfort. Amen.
Application
When have you sensed the Lord’s comfort? Tell someone about how the Lord comforted you through the Spirit.
Related Reading
Romans 15:13; John 14:16; 1 Corinthians 3:16
Worship Resource
Instrumental Worship: Comforter and Counselor
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