Good morning,
One of the marks of rapid change is ballooning confusion. When Jesus was talking to the disciples the night before his crucifixion, he knew that the disciples were about to get the shock of their lives. These men had been living and working with Jesus for about three and a half years and they were convinced that this gifted healer and teacher they were following was truly the Messiah the Jews had been waiting for. Everything about their lives was now built around Jesus the Nazarene. Their fear and confusion keep growing as Jesus kept telling them that he was about to die a cruel and undeserved death. Their teacher’s dependable presence and their anticipated glorious future as the king’s right hand men seemed to be slipping away right in front of their eyes. Jesus knew what was coming, so he promised these shaky followers a Holy Presence that would carry them through the troubles ahead.
What Jesus promised them, and us, was the the gift of the Advocate, the one who would never leave any of God’s family to face the circumstances of life by themselves. The Holy Spirit he sent to live in us is the one who cuts through all the lies and confusion that surrounds us and and keeps pointing to the truths God has given us. The world around us thinks that we are blind to reality, but they are the ones who can’t figure out why their brilliant plans keep falling apart. The lost world around us has no confidence in this ancient book that we trust and they have no understanding of what it means even when they read it. The Holy Spirit is the one who makes the words of the Bible come alive to us, and he applies these truths to our lives on a day by day basis. Our Enemy and his followers do their best to make us feel alone and worthless, but the truth God gives us here is a promise he will never break. Jesus said “I will not abandon you as orphans --- I will come to you.” May we keep reminding ourselves and our brothers and sisters of this wonderful truth in the days of confusion and darkness ahead.
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.
Roy Wisner
