“But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.” Psalm 22:19
Sometimes I read a verse, and WHAM! I am amazed when I grasp the meaning as it applies to me! Today’s verse was written by David, and he is asking God to be near him and to hurry and help him. How does that apply to me? I realized that I don’t ever have to ask God to be near to me because He is ALWAYS with me!
During Old Testament times, God’s people did not have the Holy Spirit with them continuously. The Bibles records many instances where the “Spirit of the Lord” came to certain individuals for varying lengths of time (Judges 6:34, I Samuel 10:10, 2 Chronicles 24:20, and Ezekiel 11:5), but He did not indwell the believer.
It was during the time of Jesus’ ministry on earth that He promised to send the Spirit of God to His followers. He told His disciples that He was going to leave, but He would not leave them comfortless. Instead, He promised to send the Holy Spirit of God to dwell within them (John 14). It was not until Pentecost (after Jesus had returned to heaven) that the Spirit of God began to dwell within Christians on a continuous basis.
What does this mean for me? It means that I do not have to face the ups and downs of life alone… ever! God’s Holy Spirit dwells within me and is ready to do His work in my life. And oh, what a work He does!
Here are a few things the Holy Spirit does:
*Teaches and reminds us of what Jesus said (John 14:26)
*Testifies of Christ (John 15:26)
*Convicts of sin (John 16:8)
*Guides to all truth (John 16:13)
*Glorifies Christ (John 16:14)
*Intercedes for us in prayer (Romans 8:26-27)
*Seals us – marks us as God’s children (Ephesians 1:13)
*Regenerates and renews us (Titus 3:5)
This is so exciting to me! What unspeakable comfort to know that through the presence of His Spirit, God is with me always and forever!
I’m rejoicing night and day
As I walk the narrow way,
For the hand of God in all my life I see;
And the reason of my bliss,
Yes, the secret all is this:
That the Comforter abides with me.
He abides, He abides;
Hallelujah, He abides with me!
I’m rejoicing night and day
As I walk the narrow way,
For the Comforter abides with me.
(from “He Abides” by Herbert Buffum)
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16
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How have you experienced the comfort of God’s Holy Spirit in your life?