Monday, August 3, 2015

Teach us to pray, part 58: The Holy Spirit as companion and teacher

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:13 NASB)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. 2 Cor. 13:14 NASB


"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." (John 14:16-17, 26 NASB)

Jesus described the Holy Spirit as a helper who is with us forever. He is the Spirit of Truth and not only teaches us what we need to know but helps us to remember the words of Christ. It is our job to commit those words of Christ to memory, but the Spirit is the One who brings them to our mind at just the right time. 

When we are in a frightening situation and suddenly remember the verse we learned as children, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee," (Psalm 56:3) it is the Spirit of God that has brought that truth to mind. When we remember words of Christ, it is the Spirit of God that brings them to mind. When that Still, Small Voice speaks in our heart, it is the Holy Spirit speaking in us.

If love is the characteristic that marks God the Father, and grace abounds in Jesus Christ, then fellowship, companionship is the prime characteristic of the Spirit. Jesus promised that He would not leave us alone, would not forsake us, and He did not. His Spirit remains as our constant companion and, because of that, we are never alone. 

In our heartbreak, our struggles, our trials, our loneliness, His Spirit is with us and, if we allow, will give comfort, as well as strength to persevere and overcome whatever we face. We can have that Still, Small Voice as our constant companion, and we, too, can say, "My best friend is Jesus."

God's gift of the Holy Spirit is available to us in as much measure as we need or want. Imagine that. All we have to do is ask. As we pray, then, let us ask that God's Spirit would not just work in our lives but fill us with the sweet aroma of Christ, that we might infuse our world with Him. Lord, give us the Spirit as You will, and as much of Him as we are willing to receive.




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