(Jesus said to his disciples) “I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Comforter to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, because he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Soon the world will see me no more, but you will see me. For I live, You too will survive.”
John 14:16-19
Promise
Do you like being alone? Sure, it might be nice to take a walk alone to clear your head or escape to the garage for some quiet conversation. But when bad news comes, or the holidays come, or loneliness sets in, do you prefer to be alone?
As Jesus prepared his disciples for his departure – both his departure for death on the cross and his departure to heaven at the ascension – he consoled his disciples. He didn’t want them to feel that he had abandoned him and that they were left alone. So, he made them a promise. God was going to give His Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to be with them forever. They were not going to be alone in good times or bad.
The promise that Jesus made to his disciples is for you too. He knows that there will be times when you feel alone. There will be times when temptation seems ready to overcome you. There will be times when sadness or trouble or the death of a loved one will leave you standing, not knowing which direction to go. Yet God has not left you alone. When He made you His child, He sent the Holy Spirit to be with you. On your behalf, He reminds you of the comfort and promise of the resurrection. Because Jesus lives, you will also live. No matter what trials or sorrows there may be, nothing can take away the sure fulfillment of this promise. You will live because Jesus has saved you from death. He has saved you from sin. He has replaced it with eternal life.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I thank you that you have not forsaken me but have sent your Holy Spirit to keep before me your promise of eternal life. Amen.
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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used with permission from Zondervan. All rights reserved world wide.
