It's obviously closely linked to Parakletos, which I considered on April 5th. (Click to read.) Jesus Himself said that the Holy Spirit is our Comforter or Helper. But this morning my attention was caught by another name of God in the same verse.
Paul also calls God Patēr Oiktirmos - the Father of Mercies. That speaks to me that God is compassionate and merciful; He feels our pain and He will comfort us even when our situation and our distress are due to our own failing or sin. He doesn't harden His heart and say, "Well, it's your own fault. You got yourself into this mess," (like perhaps we would be tempted to say when someone has done something foolish or selfish and got themself into a predicament.) He draws us to Him and comforts us anyway.
But God's great mercy and compassion are not an excuse for us to keep doing foolish things; rather, they should spur us on to greater maturity and wisdom. Paul urges the Roman believers, because of God's mercies (oiktirmos) to present their whole lives as living sacrifices and allow Him to transform them completely. (Romans 12: 1 - 2)
His mercies should motivate us to a deeper level of holiness... but His comfort is still there for us when we fail and cause ourselves pain.
