We do not always readily receive God’s words to us.
Jesus knows that many of his followers will be “at
sea” without some augmented seriousness, some assurance
from Jesus before he, in bodily form, departs from this
earth. So Jesus says to them, “I still have many things to say
to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of
truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”
Many to this day still do not understand the fullness
of that promise. When have you heard a devout Christian
say something like this: “I wish Jesus had not been taken
from us. I wish we could have escaped that loss.” But Jesus’
ascension was not a loss to us; it was a gain. The Lord in
his ascending received new power. Once he inhabited a few
hundred square miles; but now that he is risen, he is available
to all people on the earth at all hours of the day and
night. In his resurrection he became accessible in new ways.
The risen and ascended One is no longer hemmed in by the
confines of time and space that encumber us.
Spiritual matters for us are far less confusing than they
were during the forty-day span from Easter Day to Ascension
Day. To wish we could turn back the clock denies the
power of the Holy Spirit who can be with us in both our
joys and our sorrows, in the times of trial and in the times of
victory over sin. So rejoice and be glad, for the Spirit gives
to us far more than the ascension of the Lord could possibly
remove from us.
Even more, the Spirit makes present to us and active
among us promises that Jesus made during his ministry that
we have largely forgotten. What we and our ancestors in the
faith do not recall, the Spirit brings to our remembrance.
By Laurence Hull Stookey from The Upper Room: 60 Days of Prayer for General Conference 2016