Isaiah 30:20 (ESV) And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.

When you find yourself in a situation which can be classified as adversity or affliction, what do you take away from that experience? If you only look at the problem then you might just miss out on a real teaching moment. The word comforter might have been used here, for this Teacher is the Holy Spirit. You possibly will find comfort during those moments, but that is not all the Holy Spirit is and does for us.

He is a Teacher and these moments are an opportunity to learn something, about God, yourself, life, spiritual awareness, or maybe just Truth. The point is that if we focus only on the pain, doubt and fear, then we are missing out on a teachable moment.

On any individual case I cannot say what that might be as the circumstances and people differ. Only you can discover what that might be if and when you see the Teacher. In some cases it might be your first real good look at Him.

All I know for sure is that He is there.

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

He is there, even if you have never seen this side of Him.

Genesis 24:9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.

Genesis 32:25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

Matthew 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

Isaiah 6:9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Isaiah 33:20 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

What do all these passages have in common?

Me!

In me was a perception which moved me from one passage to another. If I had stopped with the first two passages and asked myself if there was a teachable understanding associated with the thigh of Abraham and his grandson Jacob, I never would have gotten to Isaiah 33:20 which was the Word of the Lord to me that day. This Word is mine, private and not a teachable moment.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

This is our struggle. We seek to understand why we were brought to this place when it is not the destination of our walk. It is just a step searching for a place to put our next footfall.