“The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.” (Luke 17:22, NAB) When faced with trials and perplexing problems, we so very much yearn for just a few minutes during which we could speak face to face with God’s Son and hear answers to our troubling questions from his own mouth. But those precious few years when our Lord did speak to his disciples face to face are long gone. Our need for his answers, however, continues. Does this mean that we are left without dependable guidance and only with disquieting questions?

        No, Jesus Christ, upon his ascension to heaven, did not leave his disciples in a state like that of helpless, abandoned orphans. (John 14:16-18) He assured them: “The Holy Spirit will come and help you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you.” (John 14:26, CEV) Today, operating in conjunction with the Word of God, “the Spirit” brings back to the mind of the Christian the teaching of God’s Son (as set forth in the Scriptures) and enables the believer, based on that teaching, to understand the course to be taken. Since the entire Word of God is inspired, it contains everything that is essential for the Christian to continue walking on the narrow road that leads to life.

        At times, though, we may feel abandoned, plunged into situations that we never could have imagined and for which we seem to be ill- prepared. One of the most distressing experiences in the life of Christians is to discover that the particular group or movement with which they have long been associated is not really what it claims to be. The result often is an inner upheaval—a sense of fear, alarm, and disquieting aloneness. The thought of losing dear friends and becoming an outcast even among members of one’s own family may seem too much to bear. This can be coupled with the unsettling feeling that one may possibly be wrong—in danger of jeopardizing one’s eternal future.