THE COMING OF THE COMFORTER

John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever;"

Comfort, in all its forms, is a feeling of relief, satisfaction or consolation. Comfort is an aspect of life that we do not want to be deprived of. Jesus,  understanding the importance of happiness, and having comforted the disciples throughout His sojourn, told them that He would provide for their endless delight and joy. In other words, Jesus said, "I will not abandon you".

Today's verse records the words of Jesus, " I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter,". In this prayer, we get a glimpse of the unified work of the Godhead, (God, the Father; God the Son and God, the Holy Spirit), in the saving of the human race. Jesus, the Son, prays to God, the Father, to send the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter. Praise the Lord!

The last words of Jesus,  before He died were, "It is finished." This meant that His earthly ministry was completed. He had to go to the Father, in Heaven, to begin the second phase, His ministry of intercession for us. The coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, is important to us. Jesus was physically confined because He was human, God in the flesh. 

Therefore, He could not be everywhere at the same time. The Holy Spirit is not limited by physical space and He works with each person at the same time leading him or her to Truth.

The conclusion of our verse of focus states very clearly the purpose of the Holy Spirit, "that He may abide with you forever." We are assured by the very words of Jesus, that the Holy Spirit will always stay with us. However, the Holy Spirit does not force Himself on us. We have, as always, the freedom of choice. We can welcome the Holy Spirit and live  Spirit-led lives, or reject Him, and be self-led. Jesus has made ample provision for us to live Spirit-led lives.

May we choose to follow the way that leads to eternal life, by accepting the guidance of the Holy Spirit.