John 14:16 – And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever;
There is no greater joy to someone who has been profoundly touched by God than to hear these awesome words, “The Comforter is come.” From the Great Awakening all the way through the great Pentecostal outpouring of the twentieth century, the phrase “the Comforter” has been one of the most cherished and powerful references to God. The wife of the great theologian Jonathan Edwards, Sarah Edwards, was overcome by the Spirit for over two weeks during the outpouring of the Spirit in Northampton in the 1700s. Here is a short testimony in her own words to her response when someone even mentioned the Comforter:
“In the evening, these words, in the Penitential Cries, “the Comforter is come!” were accompanied to my soul with such conscious certainty, and such intense joy, that immediately it took away my strength, and I was falling to the floor; when some of those who were near me caught me and held me up. And when I repeated the words to the bystanders, the strength of my feelings was increased. The name “the Comforter” seemed to denote that the Holy Spirit was the only and infinite Fountain of comfort and joy, and this seemed real and certain to my mind. These words “the Comforter” seemed as it were immensely great, enough to fill heaven and earth. “On Tuesday after dinner, Mr. Buell, as he sat at table, began to discourse about the glories of the upper world; which greatly affected me, so as to take away my strength. The views and feelings of the preceding evening, respecting the Great Comforter, were renewed in the most lively and joyful manner; so that my limbs grew cold, and I continued to a considerable degree overcome for about an hour, earnestly expressing to those around me, my deep and joyful sense of the presence and divine excellence of the Comforter, and of the glories of heaven.”
Jonathan Edwards wrote about his wife’s encounter with the Holy Spirit as a response to the criticism the revival at his church was receiving. Many hundreds of people had been born again in a short period of time, others, like Sarah, seemed to return to their first love, This outpouring of the Spirit swept across the thirteen colonies in just a few years and many believe this awakening gave birth to the national identity which became known as “one nation under God”. Maybe we need to have another look at the history books, most have forgotten our true national identity.
