Begin with 2 minutes of stillness and silence before God.

In this passage, Jesus is preparing His disciples for a future when He will no longer be physically present with them. He knows His time on Earth is ending soon, and He gives His disciples comfort and assurance with a profound promise. He is promising to give His believers an Advocate to guide them. The Advocate is the Holy Spirit who will continue to teach and remind them of everything Jesus told them during His time with them.

I can imagine that Jesus’s disciples were full of worry at the uncertainty of the future without Him by their side. He knew their feelings, and He knew that He had to comfort them and ease their minds. He needed to give them peace and assurance that they would never be alone. Jesus knew they would succumb to fear if He didn’t give them an Advocate. Just like He knows that we will also succumb to our fears without the Holy Spirit. That is the beautiful thing about the Gospel. Jesus’s promises are the same now as they were then. He has always been faithful, and He will continue to be faithful.

God knows that we will face many trials and tribulations in our lives, and He promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He fulfills His promise by giving us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides our Christian walk. We, as believers, are filled with the Holy Spirit. We are to follow Jesus’s example and act and respond as He would in any given situation. That’s what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The most remarkable promise that Jesus fulfills is the promise of peace. Peace can be defined as just the absence of turmoil, but that’s the way the world defines it. The peace that Jesus gives us is much deeper and richer. It is an inner tranquility that transcends worldly worries and anxieties. It is a peace that sustains us and guards our hearts. We receive His peace when we draw closer to Him. When we have a personal relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit works within us, reminding us of His teachings, imparting wisdom, and filling us with His peace. We should embrace the lasting peace that Jesus gives us as an anchor to our souls. It is readily available to us in every circumstance, and we must choose not to be afraid because His peace brings us comfort.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Why did God send us the Holy Spirit?
• Journal a prayer, thanking God for our Advocate, the Holy Spirit, telling Him why are you thankful for the Holy Spirit in your life.