The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things. John 14:26
Dale Earnhardt Jr. describes the awful moment he understood his father was gone. Motor racing legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. had just been killed in a horrific crash at the end of the Daytona 500—a race in which Dale Jr. had also participated. “There’s this noise coming outta me that I can’t re-create,” said the younger Earnhardt. “[It’s] this bellow of shock and sorrow—and fear.” And then the lonely truth: “I’m gonna have to do this by myself.”
“Having Dad was like having a cheat sheet,” Earnhardt Jr. explained. “Having Dad was like knowing all the answers.”
Jesus’ disciples had learned to look to Him for all the answers. Now, on the eve of His crucifixion, He assured them He wouldn’t leave them alone. “I will ask the Father,” Jesus said, “and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16–17).
Jesus extended that comfort to all who would believe in Him. “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching,” He said. “My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (v. 23).
Those who choose to follow Christ have within them the Spirit who teaches them “all things” and reminds them of everything Jesus taught (v. 26). We don’t have all the answers, but we have the Spirit of the One who does.
What big questions trouble you? How do you sense the Spirit of truth (the Holy Spirit) guiding you in this?
Heavenly Father, help me to seek You for the answers I need. Help me trust You completely and find real peace in You.
For further study, read Learning to Love Scripture through Learning to Love the Questions.
INSIGHT
The verse immediately prior to John 14:15–26 is often misunderstood. Jesus said, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (v. 14). This “asking” must be properly understood. Christ promised the Holy Spirit would “help you and be with you forever” (v. 16) and would “teach you all things” (v. 26). The apostle Paul said, “The Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:27). When we pray in the Spirit, we ask not out of selfishness but according to “the will of God.”