All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are terrified;
when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains,and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the Lord.
35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
Praise the Lord. Psalm 104:27-35 (NIV)
All this week I have been studying the passages about the Holy Spirit as this Sunday is Pentecost. And I have been reflecting on my experiences with Him.
Cleansing. I mentioned in yesterday’s devotion how the Holy Spirit came upon me and did such a cleansing on my heart and spirit. Now that wasn’t the only time that He has taken a scrub brush to me! Traveling through this life is like driving down any road. A car needs to be washed and vacuumed periodically. It’s not just about looking good. If a car isn’t cleaned, it will begin to breakdown. I don’t want to breakdown in my relationship with God. The dirt and stink of sin keeps me separated from my LORD. Isn’t it great that God Himself convicts and cleanses me so that we are closer together? To spend time with God every day and confess my sins and receive His loving mercy. I love that clean, brand new feeling!
Wisdom. How often I come to the LORD and lay a problem or situation before Him. The wonderful part is that I know that He knew before I came to Him. Nothing takes God by surprise! And because of His infinite patience, I am learning to be at peace when God’s wisdom is “wait.†His words are life and breath to me when the world has tried to take and take from me. Time with God, listening to His wisdom is like sitting down with a friend before a fire with a hot cup of cocoa and the end result is always peace.
Comfort. Over and over this week I have remembered a specific night in my life with the Holy Spirit. It was September 22, 2004. My 17-year-old son died that evening. There were many precious moments in those last hours but what I remember most was when the house got quiet and I laid down on my bed. I thought that I might not sleep much that night. And so I laid down and looked out the window at the stars in the sky. I just let my mind drift. I prayed for my older son who was in New York and would be making the long trip home. I prayed for the friends of my son who were struggling to understand the “why†of it all. And then I felt like I was just in the arms of God. I was held and comforted. And I heard a voice say, “Shhhh, Jody. Sleep now. I’ve got this. I am here with you. And James is with me. Because of Me, you will never be separated from any of your children. Shhhh. Sleep now and rest.†And I did.
I am grateful for this study time this week. It has reminded me of the infinite power of God. He is in the quiet of a snowfall and the howl of a hurricane. God is the lightness of a feather and the granite of a mountain. His Spirit hovered over the waters before there was a beginning and He will be there to call the Bride home to eternity.
How countless are Your works,Lord! In wisdom You have made them all… Psalm 104:24 (HCSB)
I Love the LORD (Be Still my Soul) arranged by Ronald Staheli, sung by the BYU Men’s Chorus
