Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Our Comforter Part 2


“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought . . .” (Rom. 8:26a). He is our Comforter who helps us pray and personally ministers to us.

How do we draw upon the Spirit’s comfort? First, by turning to God’s Word no matter how discouraged we may feel. As we seek God and search Scripture, the Spirit will lead us to the passages we need to reassure us, encourage us, and even answer some of our questions. The Spirit speaks to us through Scripture.

Though the Spirit is always indwelling us, we begin realizing His comforting presence as we meditate on His promises and express gratitude that He is caring for us.

As we pray, the Spirit graciously takes on Himself the weight of our concerns. “He helps our infirmity, relieves our suffering, and enables us to bear the heavy burden without fainting under the load,” said Charles Spurgeon. (Charles H. Spurgeon, “The Holy Spirit's Intercession,”  No. 1532, April 11th, 1880, Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.)

 Though nothing may change about our trials we begin to see that He is indeed present with us reassuring us of His care.

And when floods of trials continue to rise and threaten to drown our hope, the Spirit quickly helps us if we but call out to Him. Though the flood may continue to rise higher and raging currents nearly drown us and destroy everything around us and do great damage, the Spirit is right in the midst of the flood with us, keeping our head above water.

“In the same manner as hope sustains the soul, so does the Holy Spirit strengthen us under trial,” Spurgeon said. “Hope operates spiritually upon our spiritual faculties, and so does the Holy Spirit, in some mysterious way,” operates upon our hearts so that we are spiritually strengthened in our trials. (Charles H. Spurgeon, “The Holy Spirit's Intercession,”  No. 1532, April 11th, 1880, Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.)

The Spirit helps us pray by revealing light when we are in the dark. When we are so perplexed we cannot see how to solve our problems and cannot find a promise in Scripture to meet that need, the Spirit teaches us all things and reminds us of everything Christ has told us in His Word. The Spirit guides us in prayer, helping us in our infirmity.

Refining of Our Faith

What is God doing through suffering?  He is refining and purifying our faith in our trials. “‘Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried  you in the furnace of affliction’” (Isa. 48:10 esv).

When we pray for someone to be relieved of extreme pain or deliverance from a trial and it doesn’t happen, we must pray that the person’s faith will come out as gold in his or her suffering. Our own faith is also being tested as we care for suffering loved ones.

He promises that if we call upon His name, He will answer us. He will assure us that we are His. And in our suffering we will be comforted by His care and we will say with renewed assurance,  ‘The LORD is my God’ ” (Zech. 13:9b esv)

I don’t understand how or why God refines a person’s faith such as Jerry who was in so much pain as he was dying.  My mother-in-law had Alzheimer’s disease for many years. The last eight months of her life, she was confined to bed lingering near death, her body emaciated and mind destroyed by that terrible disease.

She loved the Lord and served Him faithfully her whole life. As impossible as it may seem her faith was being refined in the furnace of Alzheimer’s disease. How God brought that about in her condition is a mystery. God was refining her faith and ours as well even though we don’t understand how.

We have this misconception about how God works and who He works through. We think we or others are only valuable to God and can bring Him glory if they have  certain abilities and quality of life. We may think that people who suffer severely and/or are significantly limited do not have any quality of life. We don’t realize their significance in God’s eyes and what He is doing in and through them even if it is only apparent to God. 

In times like these we need to ask the Lord to reveal in what areas He is refining our faith. Does He want us to learn how to trust Him more and worry less? Which fruit of the Spirit does He desire to grow and mature in our spiritual life?

Affirm and thank Him for His supporting presence instead of accusing God of abandoning you. Remember as you pray that the Holy Spirit is within you, comforting and supporting you.  Ask the Lord to help you see and experience His support and strength. 

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