“In all their distress he too was distressed,” (Isaiah 63:9 NIV).
When bad things happen we may never understand the why. God tells us, “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
Dr. James Dobson said: “Trying to analyze His [God’s] omnipotence is like an amoeba attempting to comprehend the behavior of man.” It’s simply not possible. But there is one thing we can be sure of. [tweetherder]“All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful,” (Psalm 25:10) whether we understand them or not.[/tweetherder]
When we encounter difficulties, it is easy to jump to conclusions. We may think God is mad at us or punishing us. We wonder if God is not blessing us because we’ve disappointed Him in some way. But all through the Bible we see that some of God’s closest friends experienced the darkest nights.
Joseph suffered.
David suffered.
The disciples suffered.
Elizabeth suffered.
Mary suffered.
Martha suffered.
Mary (Jesus’ mother) suffered.
Paul suffered.
Jesus suffered.
And each one of these men and women were smack dab in the middle of God’s will. The ordinary pabulum of popular religion, of health and prosperity, just doesn’t line up with the suffering we see among some of the most godly men and women in Scripture. The abundant life that Jesus came to give does not come without struggle any more than a butterfly can soar without a struggle from its cocoon. We would never slice open a cocoon and expect to find a butterfly ready to fly. Without the struggle, the butterfly could not grow strong enough to take flight.
Jesus warned us that we would have struggles in this life, and yet struggles always seem to catch me by surprise. “Consider it all joy,” James said, “when you encounter various trials…” (James 1:2, NASB). Notice James said when and not if. Honestly, I wish there were some other way.
Come to think of it, Jesus wished the same. “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will,” (Matthew 26:39). The cross. There was no other way.
Take a look at the names given to the Holy Spirit:
Intercessor
Helper
Counselor
Comforter
The very nature of those names lets us know that we are going to have difficulties this side of heaven, and thankfully God did not leave us to struggle alone. Jesus wept. The Holy Spirit groans. And God’s heart aches. In one beautiful sentence, we catch a glimpse into the heart of God as we go through tough times: “In all their distress he too was distressed,” (Isaiah 63:9). We may not see God’s face during the difficult days of pain, but you can be sure He is there, and many times His face is streaked with tears.
Sometimes life is tough. As we practice Acts 17:28, In Him we live and move and have our being, it does not mean that we will walk a down path void of treacherous twists and turns. It does mean that no matter where the road may lead, we are not alone.
[tweetherder]So many times I’ve cried out with King David, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” only to discover that He was right there with me all the time.[/tweetherder] None of us knows what the future holds. Sometimes we just need to put our hand in God’s and walk around the next corner with Him—even when we don’t understand. In that journey of the unknown, we’re apt to experience moments of sudden glory in well-placed nuggets of gold.Let’s Pray
Father, even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, which is about the scariest place I could ever walk, I will fear no evil…because You are with me. I am placing my hand in Yours and walking around the next corner with You. I don’t know what is around that corner, but You do, and that’s enough for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What do You Think?
Read John 14:15-27 and 16:5-16 and list everything you learn about the person and the work of Holy Spirit.
From everything you have learned, what one name or characteristic of the Holy Spirit means the most to you? Click over to my blog page and share your answer
Want More?
Sometimes it is hard to trust God, isn’t it? Gwen, Mary and I (the Girlfriends in God) have written a wonderful book titled Trusting God. It’s is a 12-week devotion book dedicated to that one single topic. If you enjoy our devotions, you will LOVE our book, Trusting God. And we even have free videos on-line to go with each of the 12 weeks. So gather some girlfriends and learn about how to trust God together.
Comments 32
The Holy Spirit guides me even when I”m not aware of it and then it’s like a light bulb moment in this dark world. It’s a beautiful gift.
What powerful verses John 14 : 15 – 27 & John 15:5-16 as I was reading this I was crying thinking how God loves us so much if we only truly abide in him. He’s are comforter our loving friend our redeemer. There’s so much to be thankful for everyday I try do that because when sometimes; I do not my day does do not go right.
Id rather be in his presence than the way I used to live before. It’s not all about me of course it’s all about him, and what a blessing that he’s always with us no matter what were going through. Praise God for all blessings flow ……..
I love that my Lord — the Holy Spirit — is my Counselor. Reference, the Christmas song, “…Wonderful, Counselor, All Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace…” I also love, John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” So, Counselor and Peace
The Holy Spirit will abide with us forever! John 14:16
The Spirit of Truth is with all who believe.
The Holy Spirit is my helper and brings all things of Christ to my remembrance. He comforts me and leads me along the right path!!!
What touched me the most, was when Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of Truth”. I’ve always known the Jesus was the Truth and the Way, and the Holy Spirit is with us here and now, guiding us toward the Truth and the Way each day.
Comforter is the quality of he Holy Spirit I am craving currently.
His unfailing and unconditional love for us is by far the greatest joy I have ever known. Yes, at times life can be hard…but being indwelled by His holy spirit makes it all beautiful beyond measure.
The part that meant the most to me is about God being a Comforter and reproving the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement
I would say that all three are very important to me. I would choose the one that is necessary for whatever situation that I may be facing in my life at that time. Right now, I would say the Holy Spirit the Counselor is important to me at this time in my life. It is very important for me to be Guided by the Holy Spirit in which direction He wants my life to go in. He said that; His ways are not like my ways and His thoughts are not like mine, so I look to Him each day to guide my steps. He said the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. So right now, the Holy Spirit my Counselor would be the one that I would choose today.
I think “Comforter” is my favorite name for the Holy Spirit. Nothing brings more comfort in the midst of heartache and trials than knowing God is with us, even though sometimes we don’t feel He is there. Through His word, the Holy Spirit allows words that are thousands of years old bring meaning into a current generation. I LOVE that! The fact that so many real people went through the same things we are going through years ago is comforting. People have not changed. Only seasons and times have changed.
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes tiimes and seasons;…(Daniel 2:20-21), yet His faithfulness never changes. Praise God!
I guess the one word that describes the Holy Spirit to me is…..FRIEND. Jesus left this earth, but not before giving us a great parting gift…..a TRUE FRIEND in the Holy Spirit.
I think that He doesn’t leave us as orphans. We are forever family with Him!
He is Peace. That means the most to me. Anger is the thorn in my side and something I struggle to control sometimes, but I know that the Holy Spirit comforts me when I pray. See God’s Word declare that he is peace just encourages me and knowing that it isn’t just any peace, Christ’s peace is even more encouraging and comforting!
Guide and Messsenger of Truth. The Holy Spirit is the Advocate who teaches and reminds us of God’s truth that brings us comfort.
The fact that “the Spirit of TRUTH is IN me and helping me to stay on track is an extreme comfort. Not only just the knowledge but the gentle nudging and sometimes the not so gentle pushes are a constant reminder of MY covenant with Him. Recently, I was reminded that because he is IN me I am Always walking on Holy Ground. What a huge responsibility, yet joyous thought. MAINLY though….what all this means is “We are not alone”
My favorite word would have to be “COMFORTER” for he comforts me when i am sad and i never feel alone ……………I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me……..Hallelujiah….Praise God for he is awesome and mighty.
Comforter because it gives peace to my soul when I need it. I learned a new verse “In all their distress he too was distressed,” (Isaiah 63:9 NIV). I also learnt a new characteristic of God (empathy) it is good as I sat crying He cried also. I LOVE how God is drawn to suffering His Love is awesome. Thanks God x
Comforter is the name that means the most to me. I had never noticed the verse stating he is distressed when we are. That is a great comfort!
Spirit of Truth, this name is like a sweet honey on my lips! Many time I know whenever He speak to me, the Words are truth and life, they never leave my spirit! What a gift!
Wow! so many different names and attributes. The one I need right now as I face decisions about an uncertain future, is “the Spirit of truth [who] will guide you into all truth . . . he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13)
Dear Sharon and GIGs, like the devotional; “Believing God Knows Best” After reading your devotional, one verse keeps coming to me.It’s Deut. 8:2. and to me all His names seem equally important to me. I find “teacher” of great significance as one of His roles for me as I trust Him to lead me into all Truth as He promised that I may understand and know His Heart and mine with it in Him. In Deut 8:2. as He has given me to understand that He already knows whether they will keep His commandment or no.He wants their eyes open to see what is in their own hearts. To me that fits so well of the work of the Holy Spirit to lead us into all Truth, and with that the Helper, counselor, and comforter are incorporated. After writting that, what came to my heart was “I just Love my Father’s Word!!!” <3 because when I started writting I didn't know what I was going to write. <3 thank you for letting me share what is in my heart. <3 God Bless you all. <3 Num.6:24-26. <3
Dear Sharon…As I read this devotional, tears flooded my eyes and flowed like heavy raindrops down my cheeks. It is remarkable how God uses you as one of His Instruments to touch our hearts, our souls, and our minds. My husband and I lost our 17-year-old grandson six months ago due to an accident. Our hearts feel so hollow as we mourn his earthly loss and as we mourn for our daughter and her family’s loss. Our grandson was the oldest of two grandchildren–the other grandson is his 12-year-old brother who has lost his best friend and hero. Our heart breaks for him as he is now trying to figure out WHO HE IS WITHOUT HIS BIG BROTHER. Both boys have accomplished so much academically and our 12-yr-old is equally as talented and loved by all his friends at school and his church family. All this is to say that we are comforted to know that our grandson we lost is now with his heavenly Father but at the same time, we are all still in shock that he is gone. There simply are not adequate words to describe the emptiness we feel inside when we long for his big hugs and his beautiful smile. Yes, we will always hold close our special memories we shared with him, and we thank God for sharing him with us for 17 and one-half years. One of my favorite quotes from an unknown author is “Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.” This is one instance where time may never fully heal our broken hearts, but NOW we look EVEN MORE FORWARD to our own Home-going experience. Thank you, Sharon, for allowing God to use you every day so that we may receive His Messages to us.
He is in me and He leads me to all truth. He is a comforter.
For me the most amazing feature of the Holy Spirit of truth is this: “He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak”… he is the voice of God.. a messenger.. the channel to listen to what God wants to instruct us.. So.. it is the most relevant thing to seek for his presence in our lives.. so the spirit that God’s given us can be edify accordingly to what we are meant to do.. to be
When I think of the Holy Spirit I think of”All or Everything” I also think of a cozy blanket that I cover myself in when I am troubled or spread out on the grass when I want to lay down at a picnic.Having the Holy Spirit is like my glue, very strong and extra tacky cause if it weren’t I’d fall apart.
Hi Sharon, I truely thank the Lord for using you this morning. Im so thankful for the memory verse today. Im starting today ! God Bless,
I am memorizing with you all! This had been a word that Ive been hearing all weekend from diffrent sources conformation this is a word for me!
Dear Sharon,
I have been following your emails. They are so ‘normal’ and therefore SO helpful. In fact this is true from all the Girlfriend emails. Thanks so much. I will do my best to memorise the verse.
Just to put you in the picture: I live in Hong Kong, am originally Dutch, married to an Englishman, and have 2 sons, 14 and 11. I teach in a Chinese local school. Plenty of challenges, I will tell you, but I agree, it’s so true that God calls us all, imperfections included. Praise God!
Bless you for your ministry.
Josee
” I’m memorizing it with you”.
That was a very interesting reading. Thank you for sharing. I have alot to think about. I do know I love Jesus more than ever. I get nerovus and scared, but I know he is with me.