May 25 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

John 14:15–18

Devotional

The Lord’s Day between Christ’s ascension and Pentecost has been called Orphan Sunday. That is because this Lord’s Day is between the departure of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The church stood alone then. They were as orphans, who had lost their father and mother. Where could they now live? Who would now protect them? They could not live on their own! The world had no use for them and the religion of the scribes did not want them. The devil would try to devour them as a roaring lion. They are no match for him. What must become of such orphans?

Spiritual orphans are still present. The Lord has been to them as a father and a mother. But there are also times in which they feel forsaken. They are without the fatherly faithfulness and the motherly care of heaven. They are alone. They feel lonely. They cannot feel at home in the world. Outward formal religion is of no use to them. What must become of them in their condition? They wander around on earth, as orphans, bereft of their father and mother. They cannot find a home anywhere. If God does not return they will have to die in all their sorrow and grief. There is sorrow because they are without God’s friendly face; there is grief, seeing the Lord has departed.

But the Lord knows His children cannot live alone in the world, for He knows His own. He knows how weak they are in themselves. He knows they cannot find relief anywhere. Neither are they able to face the assaults of the prince of darkness. That is why the King left them a promise before He left them. It was a promise regarding His second coming. But He also gave them a promise concerning the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. He would only temporarily leave them alone. They would be left as orphans for only ten days. He says, “I will not leave you comfortless.” In the original Greek it says, “I will not leave you as orphans.” After ten days the Comforter would come to comfort them with the exalted Christ. In that way they would learn to see that their home was where He went.

It was God’s wisdom to leave them alone for ten days, because in these ten days they could learn so much. They would see who they were in themselves. They were alone. They would realize that Jesus was indispensable. They needed Him in their life. They would sense their own poverty and weakness. They understood how awful it was on earth when Jacob’s ladder was pulled up. These ten days were part of His plan to guide His children. But the disciples are not to be pitied. There is a promise for orphans. And the disciples start to meditate on that promise. They learn to live in the advent of Pentecost. They wait, patiently expecting the coming of the Spirit. But they do not wait in vain. The Lord has given them a pleading ground in Scripture. They lay hold on what the Lord Himself has spoken.

Have you also become an orphan? Do you also know something of not being able to find relief outside of communion with heaven? Then you also will learn to wait patiently for what the Lord Himself has promised in His Word: “Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry” (Hab. 2:3). The Lord is a surprising God. He comes when one no longer dares to expect Him.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.