Readings for today: Isaiah 61-64, Psalms 120
God has promised to give the Holy Spirit to every single person who places their trust in Him. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity. Fully God Himself. He is the literal Presence and Power of God who comes to dwell in the heart of every believer. When we read through the Old and New Testaments, we see the Spirit filling God’s people. He gives them gifts so that they might serve God’s purposes in the world. And He performs miraculous signs and wonders through them to bring glory to God’s name. Every Christian should pray regularly, if not daily, for the Holy Spirit to fill them. Not because the Spirit somehow comes and goes. He is always with us to be sure. But as believers in Christ, we long for Him to fill us to overflowing so that we might be empowered to live lives of grace and beauty and joy and peace in the world.
How will we know the Spirit has filled us? How will we know He is answering our prayer? The prophet Isaiah gives us the answer, “The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify him. They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the former devastations; they will renew the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.” (Isaiah 61:1-4 CSB) These words are probably familiar. Jesus quotes them in the Gospel of Luke when He inaugurates His own mission here on earth. And while they are definitely prophetic words referring to the work of the Messiah, they are also prophetic words about us, the people of the Messiah. Simply put, if we want to be filled with the Spirit as Jesus is filled with the Spirit, then we need live as Jesus lived. Love as Jesus loved. Serve as Jesus served. We need to understand our calling is to align our hearts and lives with His heart and His life. Just as Jesus was anointed to preach good news, so are we. Just as Jesus was sent to the brokenhearted, so are we. Just as Jesus proclaimed liberty to the captives and freedom for those imprisoned and the year of the Lord’s favor, so should we. When we engage in the same work Jesus engaged in, we will become “righteous trees” and rebuilders of ancient ruins. All for the glory of God.
I have seen this firsthand. I have seen the impact of a local church - both small and large - that gets on mission for God. I have watched local churches who were once struggling and anxious and afraid, take amazing steps of faith to reach their neighborhoods for Christ. I have watched courageous believers cross all kinds of social, economic, political, and ethnic barriers to serve the least reached and least resourced. I have seen it happen on the outer edges of Trenton, NJ, the suburbs of Mobile, AL, and a small city called Parker outside of Denver. I have also seen it around the globe in places like Ethiopia, Uganda, and South Sudan. In each of these places, the Spirit of God filled believers for the work of ministry and the result was powerful. They were “called the Lord’s priests; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you will eat the wealth of the nations, and you will boast in their riches. In place of your shame, you will have a double portion; in place of disgrace, they will rejoice over their share. So they will possess double in their land, and eternal joy will be theirs.” (Isaiah 61:6-7 CSB) The hand and favor and blessing of God was on them and the communities where they were planted flourished. This is why God sends us His Spirit. This is why God fills us with His Spirit. This is why we need to pray for God’s Spirit.
Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 65-66, Psalms 121 (No devotionals on Sundays)