Good Shepherd Lutheran

REAL Comfort
I loved riding my bike when I was little. Sometimes I’d fall and skin my knee, and Mom would kiss my boo-boo and make it feel better. Of course, it was a mental trick. There’s no actual healing found in someone adding mouth germs to a wound! But I was comforted, and I’d go out again, but I’d eventually crash again and need more comfort.
Mom could soothe and console, but she couldn’t strengthen me to have more control of my bike or more courage either. But the Holy Spirit can! He helps you heal, strengthen, grow, gain courage, and keep going when you humanly can’t. The Holy Spirit can hold you up when you don’t think you can hold up. He can help you press forward even when you feel like falling backward!
“Comforter” is from the Greek word “paraclete” which means to come along side of. This speaks of support. Our Comforter cares enough to give comfort to every believer who needs and wants it. But our Comforter not only kisses the boo-boo, soothing it on the spot, He gives us strength to move ahead. Even if that means picking us up, and carrying us!
This same word ‘paraclete’ is also translated as ‘advocate’ in I John 2:1. It says: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”
He’s in OUR corner! It’s like a boxing match where you’re fighting the good fight of faith in a world of low blows and, after getting beat up a while, you go take a break in your corner and you get comfort, healing, smelling salts, wounds bound, and a big ‘atta boy’. And then then once you’re infused with strength, you go back out there swinging for the win. And it’s all because of the Holy Spirit!
The Indwelling of the Spirit first happened on the Day of Pentecost. Before that day, in the Old Testament, the Spirit of God was WITH the Jewish People, but not IN them. He sometimes came UPON them, but he still wasn’t IN them. But now in this age of grace the Holy Spirit comes to live within us to support us, strengthen us and encourage us. He’s our divine companion who’s within us always.
This is both exciting and sobering: What we see, He sees. What we choose to listen to, He’s subjected to. What we experience, He experiences. What we do, we force Him to tag along for. Both good and bad. So be aware and respect that He’s always with you.
But the good news is we can take pleasure in knowing that we can walk in the Spirit. We can talk to God in the Spirit and let the Spirit of God explain scripture to us. He’s always within us, if only we’ll call on him. He is truly our Comforter! And that’s REAL comfort.