When the advocate comes
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And his ears are open to their cry. Psalm 34:15
Read John 15:26—16:4
Tonight I am told by my Lord that I am to take to myself the help given by the Holy Spirit. In a quite unabashed way I am to allow the Spirit to help me. The Holy Spirit will come to me from the Father, sent by Jesus. And God, Father, Son and Spirit, in all God’s sovereignty and glory, knows and understands that I need help, and bends toward me to give it. All God’s children have been prepared for persecution and for trial,[1] and they should pray in the face of it. There is a curious thing to realise here. Jesus spoke of his hour coming.[2] I take this to be the ultimate conflict of the cross. He uses the same phrase here of the enemies that may assault me. Their hour also will come. I am sure that Christ’s hour will be their hour. I am to recognise it. My very life is to be the scene of Christ’s victory over evil.
Prayer
Father, I believe this night and I declare by faith that Jesus has sent to me the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. I believe that he is with me in my weakness. It is in the Spirit that I see the truth and the reality of Jesus Christ, and therefore I ask that the Spirit provide in my life the help I need to be true to Jesus, so that in Christ I have authority over his enemies. I declare that they have no power to rob me of your joy and communion.
[1] Matthew 6:13
[2] John 2:4; 17:2