Spirit at Work
Stop.
Take a few minutes to reflect on a time when you felt God’s guidance in a strong way. How did you experience God’s presence? Did you recognize it at the time? Why or why not?
Listen.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord — and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. – Isaiah 11:2-4a
Reflect.
Faithful believers and church traditions have fought for generations about where the Holy Spirit comes from, how it originated, and if it pre-existed eternally with God the Father and God the Son. While it might seem like splitting hairs today, it has mattered enough in the life of the church that whole traditions have broken off and formed completely new expressions of faith based on it.
Without unpacking that whole debate, it’s worth noting that the Spirit does not only get mentioned in the New Testament. The Old Testament also bears references to the Spirit at work in the world. For me, it’s just a reminder that the Triune God has been at work throughout history in creation, salvation, redemption, revelation, wisdom, and compassion.
In this passage from Isaiah, Christians have often heard a reference to Jesus. However, it more likely refers to an idealized earthly ruler, something God’s people desperately hoped for in the time of Isaiah. In that light, we hear what kind of leader the people needed: someone full of God’s Spirit, made known in wisdom, strength, respect of God, righteousness, and justice. These gifts of the Holy Spirit could be at work in a person so that God’s will could work not only in an individual but in a whole nation.
The Holy Spirit was at work not only on Pentecost, or in the life of the early Christian church. The Holy Spirit has been at work from the beginning of God’s creation. The Spirit works in your life, too. Sometimes it takes hindsight to recognize it. When you look back at your life, pay attention to those places where you truly felt God’s presence, received wisdom, had strength you didn’t know you had, were able to walk in faith, or could truly serve others with compassion. When we look for those moments, we begin to reflect on the Spirit’s action in our lives. When we can see them in hindsight, we become better at seeing them here and now.
Pray.
Holy Spirit, be at work in my life. Fill me with what I need: wisdom, strength, righteousness, justice, peace, and hope. Sharpen my vision to recognize you at work. Calm my heart to trust in your action. Send me into the world to preach in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Carry On.
Try keeping a journal where you write about times and places you felt God at work in your life. Let it guide you into recognizing where the Spirit is at work and how the Spirit might be leading you today.