Lessons Learned in Quarantine

“‘And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.’”
‭‭John‬ ‭14:16-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There are moments where the Holy Spirit feels close. I can remember marking moments in my life where the presence of God overcame me. This was often true for me at TeenPact events. In a place where the truth of God continually saturated me, it seemed as if the Holy Spirit was more available than at home. My need to know what God wanted me to do in every moment was more evident to me when I was at TeenPact, so I was quicker to pray, quicker to listen to the Holy Spirit, and quicker to obey.

Then, I got stuck at home. Like many others, I quarantined in my house, with no hope of going to any TeenPact event, church camp, or even a church service. My strong connection with the Holy Spirit that I thought I had grew dim as I lived my day-to-day life. I faced no struggles that seemed large enough to call upon God, and in the monotony, I grew to believe the lie that the Holy Spirit was for “spiritual emergencies” and wasn’t needed in my regular life.

In John 14, Jesus says, “The Father will give you another Helper, to be with you forever…” Later on, he says, “…the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Note that Jesus says the Holy Spirit will be with those who love God forever. There is no “The Holy Spirit will be with you at TeenPact events.” or “The Holy Spirit will help you at church gatherings.” No! The Holy Spirit will be with the followers of Christ forever. He is the Helper, dwelling with his people.

I realized two things in my months of quarantine.

1. we need Jesus.

We are dependent on God. The Father sent a Helper because we needed a Helper! We need reminders of what Jesus said all of the time, whether we are washing the dishes at home or singing in the Capitol.

2.the Holy Spirit is always available.

I am a follower of Jesus, so the Holy Spirit, the Helper, dwells in me.

Are there places or situations in which you feel close to the Holy Spirit? Know that the same Holy Spirit is working at Teenpact, who is at youth group; the same Holy Spirit who encourages you to pray for a stranger on a prayer walk is there in your day-to-day.

I encourage you to pray without ceasing, to reach out to the Holy Spirit at home and all of the time. He is worthy of our praise and willing to help. When your day is a joyful one, thank him. In every moment, we have a Helper—one sent by the Father to dwell in us.

Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views of TeenPact Leadership Schools. To learn more about our Vision & Values, please visit teenpact.com/vision-values/.