Peace I Leave with You!
Peace I Leave with You!, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55274 [retrieved June 3, 2022]. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/taniwha/7186824/.
Spiritual Practices: Breath Prayer
Overview
In verse 16, Jesus tells us that he will ask God and he will send another Helper. This Helper is the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity. In addition to calling him the Helper, Jesus also calls him the Spirit of Truth and says that he will dwell with us and be with us. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives enriches and empowers our life with God. A little later that evening, Jesus would tell his disciples that it is better if he leaves so that the Holy Spirit would come in his stead (John 16:7). While they (and we) would wish for the physical presence of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is the gift he left in his place, and he is such a gift that Jesus even said we would be better off with him.
Jesus says that he will ask the Father to send us the Holy Spirit. In this breath prayer, we join with Jesus' prayer.
Prayer
Abba Father, send us the gift of the Spirit
Overview
In verse 16, Jesus tells us that he will ask God and he will send another Helper. This Helper is the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity. In addition to calling him the Helper, Jesus also calls him the Spirit of Truth and says that he will dwell with us and be with us. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives enriches and empowers our life with God. A little later that evening, Jesus would tell his disciples that it is better if he leaves so that the Holy Spirit would come in his stead (John 16:7). While they (and we) would wish for the physical presence of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is the gift he left in his place, and he is such a gift that Jesus even said we would be better off with him.
Jesus says that he will ask the Father to send us the Holy Spirit. In this breath prayer, we join with Jesus' prayer.
Prayer
Abba Father, send us the gift of the Spirit
Exploring the Text: Show us the Father
At the beginning of this passage, Phillip asks Jesus to show them the Father. Literally what he says is that if Jesus will just reveal what God the Father is like, they will be content. What Phillip did not realize was that Jesus had been showing them the Father all along. Because of Phillip's preconceived ideas, though, he was not able to recognize it. In the same way, we sometimes get preconceived ideas about what God is like and then we try to fit what the Bible says and our experiences into those preconceived ideas. The truth is that Jesus fully and completely reveals the heart, the nature, and the character of God. Look at what Jesus says in verse nine, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." If you every want to know what God is like, don't look at your experiences, what other people tell you about God, or any other preconceived ideas, look to Jesus. When we see Jesus, we see the Father. When we hear the words of Jesus, we hear the words of the Father. When we see the works of Jesus, we see the works of the Father. If you what to know what God is like, Jesus is the first, last, and best revelation of who God is.
David Dalton
At the beginning of this passage, Phillip asks Jesus to show them the Father. Literally what he says is that if Jesus will just reveal what God the Father is like, they will be content. What Phillip did not realize was that Jesus had been showing them the Father all along. Because of Phillip's preconceived ideas, though, he was not able to recognize it. In the same way, we sometimes get preconceived ideas about what God is like and then we try to fit what the Bible says and our experiences into those preconceived ideas. The truth is that Jesus fully and completely reveals the heart, the nature, and the character of God. Look at what Jesus says in verse nine, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." If you every want to know what God is like, don't look at your experiences, what other people tell you about God, or any other preconceived ideas, look to Jesus. When we see Jesus, we see the Father. When we hear the words of Jesus, we hear the words of the Father. When we see the works of Jesus, we see the works of the Father. If you what to know what God is like, Jesus is the first, last, and best revelation of who God is.
David Dalton