Led by the SpiritExemplo

Wrong Assumptions

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you . . . the Holy Spirit. - John 14:16-17

Seven-year-old Dominic raced down the school sidewalk to his waiting mom. “Our class is going skydiving!” he exclaimed. His mother’s eyes grew wide with surprise. An email to his teacher clarified that the class would be tie-dyeing — not skydiving. Dominic was disappointed. Mom breathed a sigh of relief.

Children often hear something and assume they understand. Similarly, we make assumptions about God and how He works. When His answers or timing are different than what we expect, we may doubt and even distrust Him.

Over and over, Jesus’ disciples made wrong assumptions. When caught in a storm at sea, they saw Christ walking on the water and assumed He was a ghost (Matthew 14:26). They expected Jesus to restore Israel to prosperity, only to scatter in confusion as He was arrested and later crucified. When receiving the news that Jesus’ body was not in the tomb, “the story sounded like nonsense to the men so they didn’t believe it” (Luke 24:11).

Jesus comforted His disciples in advance, saying, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. ” (John 14:16–17). This same Helper is available to us. We can cling to wrong assumptions and miss what God is doing. Or we can recognize that we’re still children ourselves, in need of the Holy Spirit’s help to understand God’s work in our lives.

Elisa Morgan

When have you made wrong assumptions about God? How can His Spirit help you to receive His guidance?

Dear God, help me to recognize Your Spirit’s voice as You work in me.