The Comforter

Read John 14

I was thinking today, “What would it be like if I wasn’t married?” I know that sounds strange, but sometimes I do strange things. In fact, I am not strange; I am unique. Anyway, I realized what a miserable life I would have if I did not have that lovely woman and sons to come home to (especially MY wife). It doesn’t matter if we sit and talk or are in our separate areas of the house. The noise of someone else being there, and someone I love dearly, is enough for me to know that loneliness cannot last long in my life.
However, loneliness will creep into every life at some point. Believers are never truly alone, though, because God has given us a permanent companion—the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost. He is the Helper who is with us forever. No one can truthfully promise always to be available to another person; the realities of time, distance, and even death can separate two people who would prefer to face difficulties together. Thankfully, by sending His Spirit to live inside us, Jesus Christ keeps His promise never to leave or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) This means that our Companion is greater than any human friend. He is more than adequate to meet our every need.
The Holy Ghost’s foreknowledge allows Him to prepare our hearts and our minds for any situation. We need never dwell in uncertainty or inadequacy. Human beings were never meant to live alone. God designed us to be complete only when we are indwelt by His Spirit, which occurs upon our salvation. We can choose to ignore the Holy Ghost, though. For example, some people stubbornly attempt to live the Christian life in their own strength or skip Bible reading when they find it inconvenient. That kind of life is marked by discontent: peace will be fleeting, and loneliness will feel like the heart's permanent resident. The Holy Ghost is our "Parakletos," or companion, who "walks beside." If we hold Him at arm's length, we distance ourselves from everything that the Lord wants to provide. If we ask the Spirit to guide our steps and open our minds to God's ways, He is available. Sometimes, like knowing my wife is at home, it is a comforting thing to know that Christ is right by my side, even if I am not talking to Him. I can hear his “noise” in my life, and I know I’m safe from that heart wrenching, isolated or cut-off entity, called loneliness.

“Loneliness is proof that your innate search for connection is intact.”
- Martha Beck