25 All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
“The Father in heaven loves to fill His children with His Holy Spirit.” Andrew Murray
Sent from the Father, in the Name of Jesus, every true believer in Christ receives the Gift of the promised Advocate – the Comforter - the precious Holy Spirit. It is He who is promised to teach us all things and to remind us of all things prior taught. The Truths Jesus had spoken, He would not retract – His Word would most certainly abide and it would be the Holy Spirit’s office to remind us of these precious Truths. What a blessed assurance for the followers of our Lord! I cannot speak for your memory but I can assure you mine rejoices with this promise! Seriously, who among us does not often have weak memories when our spirits have become troubled or disheartened? Perhaps we may even find ourselves fumbling and stumbling and losing our way. The Person – not influence – of the Holy Trinity is promised to abide within every believer of sweet Jesus, teaching and enlightening all true lovers of the Lord in every age for all time – shedding light on the Truth and bringing back to our remembrance what has been prior taught. To all the saints the Spirit of grace is given to be a reminder as well as the achieving power. It is His special office to open the eyes of our understanding – teaching, leading and empowering us into all Truth:
13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. John 16:13-14 (NIV)
“It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent.” Jeremy Taylor
Paul also tells us in 1 Corinthians:
7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" -- 10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 1 Cor 2:7-11 (NIV)
What a needful promise this is! How many times do we, like the original disciples, stand scratching our heads in our lack of understanding or find ourselves discouraged or shaking with fear for our lack of power? We need only listen and heed the Spirit’s leading. Sometimes hearing His still small voice over the world’s megaphone is not easy. This is why Scripture exhorts us to be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
“O Lord, I plead thy precious promises; and thou canst not deny thy word. Thou hast laid thyself under obligation to help a feeble, praying soul. Then let thy Holy Spirit abide with me, to quicken my soul when fainting, and to rule my heart in all things, that no sin may have dominion over me.” K. H. Von Bogatzky
John states earlier in his gospel the ministry of the Holy Spirit was needed to bring clarity to the disciple’s thoughts - both then and now:
16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. John 12:16 (NIV)
“There is to be communication of the Holy Spirit with the individual Christian in the present life, and in a sense the Holy Spirit’s communication carries with it the entire Trinity. In a sense the Spirit is the Trinity’s agent in communicating with us humans. If I am going to walk in this present life according to my high calling as a Christian, I need a strength higher than my own strength. I need the power of Christ. How is this power of Christ to be mine? It’s not enough just to imagine that I have this power. It’s not even enough to take the second step and reckon myself dead to sin and alive to Christ. There must also be a communication of the power of Christ to me through the agency of the Holy Spirit who indwells me.” Francis Schaeffer
13 “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13 (NIV)
“If a man is drawing on his own resources, he will soon run dry. It matters not what his powers may be, or how extensive his reading, or how vast his stores of information; if the Holy Spirit be not the spring and power of his ministry, it must, sooner or later, lose its freshness and its effectiveness. How important then, that all who minister (and live) in the gospel...should lean continually and exclusively on the power of the Holy Spirit. He knows what souls need, and He can supply it. But he must be trusted and used. It will not do to lean partly on self and partly on the Spirit.” C H Macintosh, Notes on the Book of Numbers, 1861