Reflections based on John 14:15–29.

‘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. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.’

As we saw last time, it is vital to remember that God is the one who offers us comfort and encouragement. Psalm 10:17 says: ‘You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry’. I can’t imagine how the disciples must have been feeling during this, their final meal shared with Jesus, but I think I would probably have been feeling pretty lost when He explained that He would soon be leaving. However, Jesus reveals that it is actually better for Him to go in order that the ultimate paraclete (comforter, encourager, helper) could be sent to dwell with believers for all time (indeed earlier in the chapter Jesus said that anyone who believes in Him would do greater things than Him because He was going to the Father (v12)!).

It is an amazing truth that the Holy Spirit is the promised comforter who reveals the truth of God to our hearts and encourages us from within, even in the midst of difficulties. In this passage Jesus unveils the wonderful mystery of what life as a believer truly means: the Holy Spirit lives within us, so is with us constantly, Jesus is in the Father, we are in Jesus and Jesus, by His Spirit, is within us. Just spending time focusing on the truths contained in His words can really encourage our spirits! If we are honest, there are times when we all feel alone, lost, despairing. And yet, we have the reminder here that the Spirit of Jesus dwells within us and His specific reason for being there is to be that advisor, reminder of God’s words, to provide us with peace and to be our ultimate encourager.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, how amazing it is to have Your constant encouragement coming from within. Help me to be attentive to Your whisperings.