5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
— John16:5-7 (ESV)
The followers of Jesus must have been dismayed when He told them He was about to leave them. They had great sorrow about his departure, not understanding Who He was sending to comfort and guide them.
There are several great lessons in these three verses; chief among those being that we need to truly trust and rely on God’s wisdom.
When He subtracts from your life it is good. When He adds to your life it is good. Do not be afraid of God-orchestrated change. Instead, embrace it.
We are often so concerned about the subtractions that we try to replace them rather than relying on Him to fill that void. When we add things to our lives without His guidance we are in essence saying to God “You took something away, so I’m just going to replace it with something of my choosing.”
There is great danger in that.
When Jesus spoke the words in John 16:5-7, His followers could only see what they perceived they were losing, not what they were gaining. We must trust God’s adjustments to our life and rely upon His perfect timing.
While Jesus was crucial in the lives of the believers, the sending of the Holy Spirit allowed God Himself to live inside each of us.
The Holy Spirit is essential for every believer, but is often misinterpreted and misunderstood. It is through the Holy Spirit that God communicates with us personally. It is through Him we receive guidance, assurance, comfort, and spiritual strength.
You can trust the Holy Spirit because you can trust the sender. If you don’t trust the sender it means you don’t trust Jesus. That’s not a trait of a true follower of Christ and something we must rectify in our souls.
Don’t be afraid of what God wants to do in your life. Yield yourself to Him daily and lean upon the Holy Spirit each and every step of your spiritual journey.
Austin Bishop is an ordained Assemblies of God minister. Those wishing to receive his daily devotional/Bible study notes may sign up by texting 601-938-2471 and asking to be added to either the morning or afternoon list.
