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. John 16:7 (ESV)
The Amazing Helper
At Disneyworld, there is this old ride called The Carousel of Progress. In it, there is this moment where the mom is marveling at the new technology that allows her to do a load of laundry in only 5 hours.
“It used to take me 2 days!” she exclaims excitedly.
It is easy to lose sight of all we have to be thankful for. There are days when my to-do list is so long, it is impossible for me to be successful. In these moments, I feel like screaming, “I need help!”
Help!?!?
Guess what? I have already been given the help I need.
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. John 16:7 (ESV)
Better off…
Wow! This is Jesus talking right here. The Son of God, the Word Incarnate, the Savior of the World… Jesus says that we are actually better off with Him not physically with us. What?!?
Better, because when Jesus left this earth, He didn’t send us the second string or the reinforcements. The Holy Spirit, a fully-fledged member of the Trinity, is here to help us. He can help all of us, all over the world, all at the same time. That is a truly amazing Helper.
The question is whether or not I will take advantage of His help.
How do I tap into that amazing source of help available to me?
1. Ask –
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5 (ESV)
Sometimes we don’t have the answers. It is time to ask our Amazing Helper for some wisdom.
2. Do What He Tells Us to Do –
But be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22 (ESV)
When we are asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom, often we get a God-inspired idea, are lead to a certain scripture passage, or get Godly advice from someone trustworthy that is an answer to our situation.
When that happens, we need to take action on it and do what God is leading us to do.
Maybe He is telling me that I need to say no to some opportunities that are worthwhile but taking up too much of my time. Perhaps I need to spend a little time training my children to do chores around the house to free up my time later. (By the way, I recently did this and it was soooo helpful!) Perhaps we are supposed to do things in a different order or way.
Whatever He says, we do!
3. Keep Coming Back to the Amazing Helper!
All day long, we need to keep on communicating with the Holy Spirit, seeking His correction, encouragement, and instruction.
Sometimes I am independent to a fault. I don’t always take advantage of the help right in front of me because I think I have to do it all myself. I want to start turning more often to the One who can extend help in every area of my life.
Action Step:
Take the Help! Ask the Holy Spirit and take His advice today.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for our Amazing Helper! He is with us all the time and can teach us all things. Help us not to rely on ourselves, but to seek after your help and direction. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Check out other devotional posts from John by clicking here!
