Always on Duty

How would you like it if someone was always following you around? That’s not only what the current president of the United States experiences, but also all former presidents through Secret Service protection. In 2013, President Barack Obama signed the Former Presidents Protection Act that entitles all presidents and their spouses with a lifetime of protection.

Most Secret Service agents are involved in the investigation of crimes, and very few are assigned to protection work. That rigorous job is not for anyone who wants to have a family life. At the drop of a dime, a Secret Service agent has to be ready to go anywhere in the world—sometimes being on the clock for sixty days before taking a break.

God has you covered 24/7 and not with just a host of secret service angels. The very presence of Christ is promised through the divine agent of the Holy Spirit. When the disciples feared the departure of Jesus, Christ said to them, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7).

The Holy Spirit is not only Christ’s representative but brings us the very presence of Jesus. The Lord promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) and “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Since Jesus has chosen to be cloaked with humanity as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, the Spirit—not held to time and place—is able to be with all God’s children at any moment, wherever they are on the planet.

How grateful we can be that the Holy Spirit doesn’t need a vacation. The Spirit is never worn down by being on duty for long periods of time but is full of energizing power to sustain us when we call for help. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, we may know that we are fully covered.

Apply It:

Can you think of a time in your life when you especially felt the need for the presence of Jesus?

Dig Deeper:

Isaiah 11:2; John 14:17, 18; 1 Corinthians 3:16

Key Bible Texts

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (John 14:16 KJV)