When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. – John 16:13
Have you ever been whitewater rafting? Maybe you went on a short three-to-four-hour experience, or perhaps you spent several days rafting through the Grand Canyon. Whatever adventure you embark on, it is wise to have a guide along with you. Someone who is familiar with the river will know how to navigate around boulders and through rapids and whirlpools. They will be familiar with whether the water level is higher or lower than the last time, and how weather upstream may affect the water’s flow. Unless you are highly skilled, you do not want to take the trip alone.
When Jesus was in the upper room with His disciples before He was betrayed, He told them of His coming departure. Then, through several chapters in John, He also told them they would not be left on their own. “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:16-17). “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). “When the Helper comes, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26). “When the Spirit of Truth comes… He will glorify me” (John 16:13-15).
Just as a whitewater river guide steers your raft around obstacles, the Holy Spirit is your promised guide, steering you, teaching you, and encouraging you in your journey with Christ. Pastor and author Steven Cole says, “’Guide’ suggests that this is a process, and since the subject is ‘the unfathomable riches of Christ’ (Ephesians 3:8), it is a never-ending process.” As you place more reliance on the Holy Spirit in your life, your future feels more secure knowing that He is with you, and will take you through upcoming obstacles or unfamiliar territory.
A hymn published in 1854 includes these lyrics, “Teach me to feel that you are always nigh; teach me the struggles of the soul to bear, to check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh; teach me the patience of unceasing prayer.” As you lean more and more on the Holy Spirit for guidance and leading, you become willing to trust Him fully, following as He leads you. Benefits and blessings will accrue to you as you do.
Today’s Verse: John 16:13
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: John 16:4-15
4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.
“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 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. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
