Our Comforter

"If you love me, obey me; and I will ask the Father and he will give you another Comforter, and he will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, for it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you do, for he lives with you now and some day shall be in you. No, I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm - I will come to you. In just a little while I will be gone from the world, but I will live again - and you will too. When I come back to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. The one who obeys me is the one who loves me, and because he loves me. my Father will love him, and I will too, and I will reveal myself to him." John 14:15-21 (TLB)

Maudlyn O. Adeleke, from Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, sat waiting to take her entrance exams for a second time. She had recently started seeking God's guidance again after many disappointments, and she felt excited because she knew she could ask God for anything. She asked that the Holy Spirit would sit beside her, and immediately she knew that the Spirit was there helping her. That was the first step in refreshing her relationship with God.

God has given us the Holy Spirit as our comforter. But if we fail to recognize the Spirit dwelling with us and in us, we miss out on the comfort and company we have on our journey. In today's reading from John, Jesus explains that we can know and have a relationship with the Spirit. We do this through recognition of the Spirit's presence, along with consistent communication and fellowship. When we maintain our connection to the Spirit, we are better able to follow the Spirit's leading and power in our lives. It is a great joy to know the One who dwells within us.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for your presence in our lives through the Spirit. Help us to maintain our relationship with you no matter how busy we become, in Jesus' name. Amen.