John 14:6 & 15-17

⁶Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

¹⁵“If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

“I am the …Truth…”

 In John 14, Jesus sits and talks with his friends in anticipation of his death. They learn of the Lord's gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Can you imagine what that meant to those listening for the first time? An advocate? A spirit? Did they understand? How could they? 

During a Bible study class I went to years ago, we were asked: Do you ever pray to the Holy Spirit? Only 2 raised their hands and I wondered why they would pray to the Holy Spirit? Why are there so many, including myself, that regularly pray to Jesus or God but not to the Holy Spirit?

A need to know led me to these verses: John 14:16-17 "the Father… will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth…  you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." 

Oh, how comforting it is to know that if we follow Jesus we will never be alone. The Holy Spirit descended as Jesus ascended into Heaven. Our Father knew, just like he does today, that many would be confused, devastated and afraid of life with sickness, wars, and destruction. He gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to comfort us.
To stand by us, to be with us. To be in us. We are not alone. We are so blessed. 

Will you pray with me now?

Prayer

"You are holy. We depend on you to remind us of everything Jesus taught while he lived on the earth. You are God's power source, and you are the teacher of all truth. Holy Spirit, continue to lead our lives, we pray. Amen."  (Unknown author)