The Comforter

“He will give you another Comforter to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth” John 14:16-17
Lately I’ve been noticing just how present the Holy Spirit is. I’ve started doing a lot of walking so there are many hours that can be spent reflecting on all sorts of things, and invariably the Holy Spirit brings different things to mind. The blueness of the sky and the beauty of wildflowers, God created it all in such intricate design, even though they only last for a few weeks or months.
Another thing the Spirit does is remind us of the Scriptures concerning Jesus Christ (John 14:26). This is what happened for me a few days ago, when I had a bunch of dilemmas that I needed to pray about. The answers came in the form of various Scriptures, one after the other (which then inspired me to write the ‘He will never leave’ post on 1 Jan).
The Greek word ‘another’ in John 14:16 means ‘another of the same kind’ (as opposed to another of a different kind). The Holy Spirit is of the same essence as Jesus. At this point in John’s gospel, Jesus is about to die on the cross and return to heaven. But He reassures the disciples that they will not be left alone – their relationship with God will continue through the work of the Spirit.
How conscious are we of the Holy Spirit in our day-to-day lives? He is with us ‘forever’ – all we need to do is realise this and give Him the opportunity to speak to us.