What do we know about the Holy Spirit? How often do
we really think about Him?
When Jesus is talking to his disciples just before he is
arrested, he promises them the Holy Spirit. “And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate, who
will never leave you.” (John 14:16) The footnote in my Bible says “Advocate”
could also be Comforter or Encourager or Counselor. The Greek word used is Paraclete, which encompasses all those meanings.
But I believe it’s not OR but AND. The translators of the Bible
into English had to pick just one meaning of Paraclete to use in their
translation, but I believe God used Paraclete on purpose, because it best describes
who the Holy Spirit is in ALL its meanings. He is our Comforter AND our
Encourager AND our Counselor AND our Advocate.
What do those words mean to you? Comforter makes me think of
a nurturing, gentle love that understands our sorrows and hardships. Encourager
is someone who stirs you up and prods you on when you want to stop, who
believes in you and gives you strength to go on. Counselor is wisdom in our
most perplexing situations, advice and direction when we don’t know where to
go. And Advocate is our protector and defender. He stands before us, shielding
us from any accusations or condemnation, saying, “This one is Mine. This one is
blameless.”
And all of these roles are wrapped up in who the Holy Spirit
is! Don’t you want to experience Him? To be aware of His presence always? As if
that weren’t enough, Jesus also says about Him that He will never leave us, He
will lead us into all truth, He lives in us, and we experience the presence of
Jesus through Him. We are not abandoned.
The Holy Spirit is referred to as God’s Gift to us. Once
again, because He so loved the world, God is giving us Himself, first in the
Person of Jesus Christ, and now in the form of the Holy Spirit.
Don’t you want to unwrap the Gift of the Holy Spirit? I do. But how do we do that? I think it's by inviting Him into our everyday, becoming aware of His
pervasive presence, asking for the comfort, encouragement, wisdom, and
protection He wants to give us. Maybe we don’t have because we don’t ask.
Experience the Gift!
