Holy Spirit, Come by Susan Barclay

I confess that I didn’t post last month. I was sick of the pandemic; sick of thinking, hearing and reading about Covid; tired of wearing a mask whenever I had to go out; just exhausted from the whole thing. It’s been a long two years, amen?

Saying that, it’s ironic that when I thought about what to write for today, Covid came to mind, at least as a springboard. Over the last 24 months, this too-long season of coronavirus, God has been bringing change. Largely cooped up, with pretty much nowhere to go but work and the grocery store, my husband and I were exposed to a wider variety of voices through reading and watching livestream sermons. Instead of just attending our own church, we watched services of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, Emmaus Road, FirstBaptist in Atlanta, and others, learning from different teachers. We read Talking Back to Purity Culture by Rachel Joy Welcher, Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James, Another Gospel? by Alisa Childers, all of which God used to transform our hearts and our thinking. We started asking questions we had never asked before, wondering why we were suddenly discovering things previously hidden (to us at least), and somewhat shocked out of our complacency.

The Holy Spirit gives us new life.

Jesus wants to renew us. In Matthew 5:6, he said “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.” In John 7:37, He said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink.” We aren’t meant to get stagnant in our faith; we are meant to be touched by living water. 

Streams of water.

There is a familiar saying – “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” It’s possible that changes in our family circumstances over the last few years, combined with the realities of life during a global upheaval, readied us to receive new information and to allow the Holy Spirit to speak, giving us fresh insight and understanding.

Jesus said that it was better for Him to leave the disciples so that the Holy Spirit could come:

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you].” ~John 16:7, AMP

He also said that the “Holy Spirit…leads into all truth.” ~John 14:17 

The Holy Spirit speaks through the pages of God's Word.

What does the coming of the Holy Spirit mean to me personally, though? Well, it definitely means having the best Teacher I could possibly have. As I ask the Spirit to guide my understanding of the Word, He reveals things I wouldn’t otherwise see or comprehend. It means I can uncover new riches in the treasure of God’s Word even after reading the same verse or passage for the umpteenth time. His Word never becomes stale but is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). The coming of the Holy Spirit also means being filled with Christ’s Spirit so that I have all that I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) - love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Am I perfect? No, but the One who dwells within me is. He helps me in my weakness and intercedes for me, convicting me when I’ve missed the mark in order to keep our fellowship sweet.

I recently started reading Kim Walker-Smith’s Brave Surrender and love this description of the Holy Spirit at work at a Jesus Culture concert some time ago:

"‘How He Loves’ was the last song in our set, and when we finally reached it, I could feel the atmosphere change in the room. The presence of the Holy Spirit became as tangible as the nose on my face. I could feel His love filling the room like a heavy, warm blanket."

Kim goes on to share how desperately she “wanted to put words to what was happening in the room” and how what flew out of her mouth was completely unexpected (the complete video, found here, is worth watching). That’s often how it is when the Holy Spirit moves, isn’t it? When He gives us the words, whether as worshippers, intercessors, prophesiers, or writers, we know it’s from Him.

For various reasons my life hasn’t really been my own for the last couple of years. The question is, should it be? If I belong to Him, and I do, then my life is His and should have been His from that initial moment of surrender. But just like my writing (when I get a chance to do it), I am a work in progress. And so are you. And so are the authors and pastors we both admire.

As I’ve been growing as a worshipper this year, God keeps bringing songs to my mind unbidden. This morning it was this one: Holy Spirit, another Jesus Culture song. Coincidence? I think not.

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For more about Susan Barclay and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com