Jesus promises his disciples that, although he will soon be leaving them, he will not leave them ‘desolate’ — or ‘as orphans’, as another version puts it. He will send them his Spirit who will be with them always. In his mortal humanity, Jesus could only be in one place at a time and could not live forever. His Spirit is with us always, even when we feel as if we are alone and helpless. The Greek word used to describe the Spirit here is parakletos, which can be translated into English in various ways: advocate, helper, counselor, comforter, teacher. He is the Spirit of Christ, and he continues the work that Jesus did among his disciples. He is the Spirit of Truth, and he leads us to the truth as we try to listen to him and be guided by him.
In prayer it is the Spirit who brings God’s word to life and gives us a deeper understanding of the truths of the gospel. The Spirit also guides us in our daily lives, showing us the right actions in the situations we face and strengthening us to carry them out. He gives us encouragement and consolation in our troubles and fears, and he is our advocate when we sin, praying with us when we repent and seek forgiveness.