John 16:4-11
"I didn't tell you this earlier because I was with you every day. But now I am on my way to the One who sent me. Not one of you has asked, 'Where are you going?' Instead, the longer I've talked, the sadder you've become. So let me say it again, this truth: It's better for you that I leave. If I don't leave, the Friend won't come. But if I go, I'll send him to you.
"When he comes, he'll expose the error of the godless world's view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He'll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
When I was in about seven, my dad took a job near Dewitt, Arkansas, working on construction of part of the McClellen-Kerr navigation system on the Arkansas River. He would leave in the wee hours of Monday morning and drive to Dewitt, work all week, and drive home on Friday evening. I truly hated this. The closer it grew to bedtime on Sunday night, the sadder I became. I vividly remember crying one night as my dad sat on the side of my bed and tried to explain to me why he had to go back to Dewitt the next morning. “You want a horse to ride and other things, don’t you?” he asked me. “I have to go to work so we can afford to get these things.” Still, I didn’t want him to go, and I begged him to please stay home.
I didn’t care about horses – or anything else – I just wanted my daddy with us. As a seven-year-old second-grader, I could not grasp the concept that my dad could make so much more money as a welder on the lock and dam system’s construction than he could at many of the jobs in our community. I think I understood this a little better when I was in fifth grade, and for six months we moved to an eastern Oklahoma community so that Daddy could once again work on welding tainter gates at the lock and dam there.
While we lived in Oklahoma, my dad made good money. Nearly every weekend, we traveled to a larger city and shopped, ate out, and got new toys… and my sister and I got new clothes for our Barbies. Still, we were not at home… things were not as they had been, and my siblings and I were not happy. My sister, brother and I failed to see any wisdom in my parents’ choice for my dad to work away from home… or to move us to another state for such work. We did not trust that there was anything to be gained by doing this… and we will never know what might have happened had we continued to follow the jobs.
The disciples were told that Jesus was leaving them… and they were understandably upset. After all, He had just returned to them after His crucifixion and resurrection from the tomb. Any talk of Him leaving again had these followers in a state of despair, if not downright panic! I get that! When we invite Jesus into our heart, the last thing we want to consider is that He might turn around and leave us… right? What we don’t fully understand is the hierarchy of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God the Father sent Jesus. Jesus glorifies God. The Holy Spirit gives glory to Jesus, who sent Him. Jesus never truly leaves us… His Holy Spirit is the agent of change within us. You speak to Jesus… the Holy Spirit makes things happen. He operates on the inside of you. The Holy Spirit is the giver of wisdom.” He shows us things that God knows. In order to glorify all that Jesus suffered and sacrificed for us, we must allow Him to send His Holy Spirit to live within our heart and make things happen!
My dad was not gone… he was merely working in another location through the week. But in order to have all of the benefits He wanted to provide for us, he had to work remotely. We could call him on the telephone… we could still talk with him… but he had to go away and do his work so that we could gain the things we needed. And so it is with Jesus. He had to go away to do the work… and he uses the Holy Spirit to provide us with what we need.
As a seven-year-old kid, I didn’t care (or at least I said I didn’t) about things… I just wanted my dad with us. As a 54-year-old Christian, I want Jesus with me – all the way… all the time! But I am mature enough to understand that He cannot physically return to earth and walk around with me. The way to have Jesus with me on this earth is through the Holy Spirit. If I do not make room for the Holy Spirit in my life and let Him work on the inside of me, I will never fully experience all that God set out to give me.
So we must understand that inviting Jesus to be LORD of our life is the first step… but then we must make room in our hearts for the Holy Spirit… and do all that we can to make Him feel welcome. So many Christians miss this important step. They see the Holy Spirit (or as some say, the “Holy Ghost”) as something or someone nebulous and scary. Don’t count yourself among them. See the Holy Spirit as a manifestation of Jesus in you… His vehicle to be continually present with us … to supply us with all of the wisdom, compassion, discernment, and authority He wishes to give us in order to serve Him well. Trust Jesus. Believe in Him and accept that His will and plans are perfect – and meant to bless and keep us.
To truly “let go and let God” means to trust Jesus in all things… and to believe that He will never abandon us. Surrender completely, embrace the Holy Spirit and allow the Him to come and dwell in your heart. This is when the “good stuff” starts to happen… are you ready for it?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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