“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:12-14)
Where do we go for comfort in the midst of a crisis? Do we call on the Lord in prayer when dealing with emotional, financial, social, or physical predicaments? Or would we rather ask experts, people with certain credentials, scientists, talk show hosts, financial gurus, lawyers or politicians before we go to the Lord in prayer? Too often we think the people the world values hold the keys to success and emotional stability. So we look to and follow them. But the people in the world do not possess godly wisdom. They will invariably lead us away from the Lord even if their advice is sound, or appears to be.
As Jesus addressed His disciples on the night before He was crucified, He wanted to comfort and encourage them. He knew that they were filled with questions and doubts. Jesus had to tell them plainly what was going to happen in the next days so they would be prepared. If they realized that Jesus knew what would happen they should not be dismayed: He had all things in control. But what He shared only increased their anxiety. He told them that He would be leaving shortly. He wasn’t going to be around to help them and give them advice and encouragement. Yet He did encourage them by telling them that His place would be taken by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would be with them at all times and in every place and situation. They remembered this later and rejoiced.
This pronouncement about the Holy Spirit should give us great comfort in the midst of any crisis. All of us who have faith in Jesus benefit from the ministry of the Holy Spirit for He dwells within the Church. We worry about a lot of things when we really should be relying upon the Spirit to guide us. Jesus says He will guide us into all truth. The Holy Spirit will enable each believer to do that which he or she cannot. He will provide each of us with the words and wisdom we need at the appropriate time. He will also use us to speak of Jesus and His love. He will use us to witness for the Name of Jesus. He will use us to bring God glory by leading others to Him.