Meditation: Joan Boney
Jn. 14 ... And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the Spirit of truth;
comforter: (provision of comfort)
- physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint
- consolation in grief or anxiety
- reassurance
- help
- one who gives satisfaction
- strength and support
All these things are done by the Holy Spirit who lives in the children of God.
The Holy Spirit will bring to our mind a scripture or dream to settle us and help us. Or the Holy Spirit will even enlighten us by bringing a concept we have never thought of concerning the subject. And we will laugh with delight at such.
A man named John Rodgers in our church group was considering building another storage building to hold his "stuff". As he thought on this, the thought came, "Why don't you just get rid of the stuff?" ... Holy Spirit ...
When my mother was living, I would go get our food daily. She rode with me. I would take the exact change for the food and leave my purse with her. At that time it cost $5.30. So I would take a $5 bill and a quarter and a nickle from my purse and go in for the food. One day I had a problem. I didn't have a quarter and a nickle. As I searched through the change holder, I had the following thought: "Three dimes will work." ... Holy Spirit ... I had several dimes ... I laughed.
At my previous house, there was a construction problem and I was left with very small kitchen. I didn't know what to do about it. I prayed. No answer. I prayed. No answer ... Again and again I prayed. This went on for about 4 years. One day, I entered the kitchen and a light went on in my mind.... Holy Spirit ... To solve the problem all I had to do was to move the refrigerator to the area where there was a built in pantry and put a pantry in the attached garage.
Over and over the Holy Spirit has helped me and taught me and comforted me ... and will do so even until the time I am removed from this present earth. Jesus says: Jn. 14 ... And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you
another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the
Spirit of truth;
Each person who belongs to God has been sealed with the Spirit of God ... Eph. 1 And HE helps us and comforts us as long as we live on this earth.
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Meditation: Pam Padgett
Psalm 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
One definition of "trouble" is worry (concern, anxiety, unease). Often a worry seems "small", but it affects me, like a weight or burden hanging on me, unless I turn to God with the worry ... depending on God's strength and help even with seemingly "small" worries.
Recently it seems I've been turning to God more with worries. Often
when I pray about a worry, I no longer feel weighed down, knowing that
God will help me according to HIS will.
An example that encourages me to turn to God with even small worries ...
a week or so ago I remembered that a woman I once worked with has
stopped by my house each of the past few years shortly before Christmas
to visit and bring a gift. When I remembered this, I dreaded this
visit, and started worrying about how to handle it. Then I stopped and
turned to God, laying out how I felt and asking what, if anything, He
wanted me to do. However God chose to work this out was my desire.
Although I didn't hear to do anything, the dread and "weight" I felt
about this expected visit lifted. I was no longer worried, and even
forgot about it. The next time I recall thinking about this was
Christmas day afternoon when I realized that this woman never called nor
came to my house. I was thankful to God to have been spared this
visit, and also that we can turn to Him with worries, even like this.
How much better it is to turn to God and depend on Him and His strength, rather than carrying worries around (trying either to ignore the problem, or to deal with it in my own strength).
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of
God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon
him; for he careth for you.