Inscribe the Word . . . 28 Promises of God for February.
Happy February, Friends!
This year, we are journeying through the Bible, discovering God's Promises. You can read our introductory post about why I chose this topic HERE. We have already inscribed thirty-one promises this January, and now we are on to discover twenty-eight promises of God in Scripture.
One of the verses we are inscribing this month comes from John 14.
Let’s take a look at this promise of Jesus together.
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” - John 14:16-18
John 14 through John 17 is known as Jesus' Farewell Discourse. As Jesus faces His death, He ministers to His own, His precious disciples. In my opinion, these are some of the most beautiful chapters in all of Scripture. We get a glimpse into Jesus' heart, and we see a Divine Love so beautiful it is difficult to put into words.
In John 14:16-18, Jesus makes His disciples a promise. He promises "another Helper" will come and will be with us forever. We know that this HELPER is the Holy Spirit, The Spirit of Truth.
WHY WOULD JESUS MAKE A PROMISE LIKE THIS?
For a moment, put yourself in the shoes of the first disciples. Three years before this moment, Jesus called them from their jobs, their families, their towns, and their comforts to follow Him. These disciples laid it all down and obeyed.
For three years, they have been learning a new life from their Teacher, Jesus. For three years, they have known nothing else. And now, their Rabbi tells them, "I am leaving you."
What would you do?
How would you feel?
Would you have a job to go back to?
Would your family accept you back after hanging around with this itinerant Teacher for three years?
How could life ever be the same again? The things you have seen and heard following Jesus have altered your life forever. How could you possibly just go back to work and home on Monday morning after He leaves?
Read through these three chapters, and you can feel the disciples' worry and concern. You can see the wheels in their minds spinning. "How could He leave us now? We are just getting started."
So Jesus, with all love and grace, makes them a promise.
"I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you in the person of The Holy Spirit. He will guide You. He will be your Comforter. He will come from My Father, in My name. He will be your Teacher and will bring to remembrance all that I have said to you."
THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
As disciples of Jesus, you may be wrestling with the same fears The Twelve had so many years ago. You may be concerned about the constant changes happening in the kingdom of this world. You may be worried about your children or grandchildren and their futures. Or, you may be at a place where you no longer feel the presence of God and are wondering if He has left you.
If this sounds like you, I ask you to remember the words of your Rabbi . . . I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you.
In Acts 2, He fulfilled this promise. He sent The Comforter, The Holy Spirit. And today, He is still here—the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is still teaching and comforting. He is always guiding us and bringing the words of Jesus to our remembrance.
Lean into Him.
Seek Him and draw near to Him.
HIS PEACE IS ALWAYS WITH US.
Jesus, knowing the fear in His disciples' hearts and knowing the fear in ours, promises one more thing; peace.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” - John 14:27
Friends, you have a great and precious promise in the words of Jesus. He will never leave you. The Holy Spirit has been sent from the Father in Jesus' name to be your Teacher, Comforter, and Guide. Through The Spirit, you can experience peace. Not the peace of the world, but the peace of Jesus.
So as we go into this new month of Inscribing the Word, let not your hearts be troubled and neither let them be afraid. Jesus is with you, the Spirit is guiding you, and you have access to a peace that passes all understanding.
