I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever. John 14:16
Making his preflight checks for a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to New York City, a flight attendant noticed a passenger visibly anxious and concerned about flying. He sat in the aisle, held her hand, explained each step of the flight process, and reassured her that she was going to be fine. “When you get on an aircraft, it's not about us, it's about you,” he said. “And if you’re not feeling good, I want to be there to say, ‘Hey, what’s wrong? Is there something I can do?’ ” His caring presence can be a picture of what Jesus said the Holy Spirit would do for believers in Him.
Christ’s death and resurrection and ascension were necessary and beneficial to save people from their sins, but it would also create emotional turbulence and deep sorrow in the disciples’ hearts (John 14:1). So He reassured them that they wouldn’t be left alone to carry out His mission in the world. He would send the Holy Spirit to be with them—an “advocate to help [them] and be with [them] forever” (v. 16). The Spirit would bear witness about Jesus and remind them of all Christ did and said (v. 26). They would be “encouraged by” Him during difficult times (Acts 9:31).
In this life, everyone—including believers in Christ—will experience the turbulence of anxiety, fear, and grief. But He’s promised that, in His absence, the Holy Spirit is present to comfort us.
John 14:16, 23-27
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
INSIGHT
1. What’s been troubling you in your life?
2. How can you seek the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit?
Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as the “Advocate” (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7). Other translations use the word Comforter (kjv) or Counselor (rsv). Christ told His disciples that the Spirit would teach them “all things” and remind them of “everything” Jesus had said and taught (14:26). The Spirit is the very presence of God and will be with us “forever” (v. 16). On the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Christ’s resurrection, God sent the Holy Spirit to all believers in Jesus (Acts 2:1-4). Today, everyone receives the Holy Spirit when they receive Christ as Savior (10:44). We can trust what “the Spirit of truth” (John 15:26) speaks into our hearts and minds. The Spirit gives believers spiritual gifts to serve Jesus and to help us grow more like Him (1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Galatians 5:22-23). The Spirit also convicts unbelievers of sin and the need for salvation (John 16:7-11).
PRAYER
Dear Jesus, thank You for the Spirit’s comfort and counsel. In Your name I pray and believe. Amen.
Read: John 14:16, 23-27 | Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 1-2; 1 Timothy 3
