The Comforter

There are joyful times in life when we feel we need nothing. There are a great many moments in the present when it seems all the world is right.

I remember those times of peace and harmony when things seem difficult or hard to move through.

The definition of comfort from Webster's is: to give strength and hope to, or to ease the grief of trouble of.

Isn't it just like God to promise to "ease the grief" but not promise to remove it! I feel that way sometimes. I have had my moments that I think a little like that guy named Job who for a moment declares that He is the God who 'gives and takes away'. In my pain I have often asked Jesus to show me proof of His truth, and I know that in my honest doubts Jesus is not disappointed because he was not disappointed with Thomas who saw yet still doubted. Lately, I am seeing that waiting on the Lord does not provide an instant gratification but rather can be somewhat uncomfortable as I imagine it was for the hundreds who waited in fasting in the upper room for the anticipated comforter Jesus promised.

When the psalmist said He is my rock and my shelter, I don't think it was suppose to mean that He was hard and covered us in silence...but sometimes that seems all I find.

But that is really just the illusion of silence because the Bible promises that God not only will He never really leave us - He will sing over us - He knows all our tears - He has plans to prosper us and He also promised that He hears us when we call upon Him. So, why doesn't it always feel that way? Well, all the reasons are different for each persons circumstances, but I think that a few things remain to be the truth for all of us.

First: We are simply fragile! By God's Design, we are meant to be on the edge of of breaking in order that others may see Christ's Hope.

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,”
has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that
is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We
are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never
abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through
suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life
of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

Second: We loose sight of the Grace that saved us and we are looking for God in the wrong place, thus hearing NOTHING.

Galations 5:3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with
God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of
Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the
law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s
grace.

Although, so many preachers or pastors may send a message that we are all saved and thus secured in our destiny, that is not the debate here. This message clearly states that we need Grace to find the favor to WALK BY FAITH. Grace is the necessary piece to the puzzle in walking in the Spirit. We can simply be looking for God to answer us in our works, in our ability to do good things and miss where God is answering us.

Galations 5:16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you
won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do
evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives
us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two
forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your
good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under
obligation to the law of Moses.

There probably are more that we all could have in common but I believe that the last thing we all tend to do is forget to develop our character or learn the lessons while things are good. When things are going well we abandon the Word study or we abandon our prayer walks and in some cases we just forget to work out our faith muscles.

We become the enthusiatic person who has no soil of character when the hard times hit.

Matthew 13:18-19"Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn't take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person's heart. This
is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.
20-21"The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

When faced with these three "starter points" in evaluating our relationship with God we may not fall into one of these categories. You should always ask the Holy Spirit to direct you in looking into your own heart and really repenting of the sins we so easily fall back into. It is very likely that withing our "silence" is a Holy Spirit waiting for us to become truely repentant in order that He may reveal His love for us and that Grace is more than enough to erase our sins with ease.

The Promise after the repentance:

Revelations 3:19"The people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and
guide so that they'll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run
after God!
20-21"Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I'll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That's my gift to the conquerors!

Let my ears hear...Let my heart be repentant and earnestly seek JUST you God...Then I will know I am not alone in my troubles, but that BECAUSE you love me you call me to walk tall and you keep my feet straight on the path of righteousness. Thank you Lord God my strength and my shield, my ever-present Help in time of troubles...YOU do in fact give us hope and something to hold on to!