I will ask God, who will give you another Advocate,
to be with you forever.
—John 14.16
The word in Greek is Paraclete, a legal advocate.
We often think of (and get nervous about) God as our Judge—
but God is really our defense attorney.
When you face your trials
the Holy Spirit is the one who is by your side—
on your side, working for your sake, pro bono.
The Holy Spirit is the one who believes in you,
in your goodness and worth, and defends you
against that hanging judge in your head.
Your defense attorney will never turn into a prosecutor
of you or anybody else. Her only job
is to set you free and give you justice.
Trust her. When she asks you to tell the truth, do.
When she says something in Latin you don’t understand,
she’s really making things better for you.
She’s not getting you off any hook—
the charges were imaginary anyway.
But she will call upon you to bear witness.
The Holy Spirit will defend you.
She has the jury in your head in the palm of her hand.
She wins every case. She loves her work.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
May 19, 2020