Teach us to pray, part 57: The Spirit of God

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:13 NASB)

In this verse, the giving of the Holy Spirit by our heavenly Father is presented as a greater kind of gifting than the good gifts a father might give to a child and implies that, if we ask for the Holy Spirit, God will grant it. "How much more" indicates that the gift of the Spirit will be given in abundance, and that the Spirit is something for which we should ask.

If we are to ask for more of the Spirit, what is it, exactly, for which we are asking? Matthew 28:19 tells us that the Holy Spirit is the third part of the Triune Godhead. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

The words translated as "The Holy Spirit" are hagios pneuma. Hagios is a word used to indicate something or someone as "most holy". Pneuma can mean "breath" or "wind" and is used as both to describe the Spirit of God. In this instance, it is used to indicate the Spirit of God, as close as our breath, infusing our life. Just as the body does not give life to the spirit but the spirit gives life to the body, even so the Spirit of God infuses us as believers with the divine life of Christ that comes to those who trust in Him.

Martin Luther described our human spirit as the "highest and noblest part" of us, "the house where Faith and God's word are at home", the part of us that allows us to "lay hold of incomprehensible, invisible, eternal things." The Holy Spirit, then, is the Spirit of God, dwelling in us in such a way that it produces spiritual attributes and gifts in us. Thayer's translation describes the Spirit of God as "august, full of majesty, adorable, utterly opposed to all impurity." 

When the Spirit dwells in us, as it must if we belong to Christ, He brings an opposition to all impurity. Our tendency toward impurity, toward the sin and darkness of this world, cannot peacefully coexist with the Spirit of God. If we are to be filled with the Spirit of God, if we are to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit, we must relinquish the ways and desires of the world. We, too, must oppose the impurity that marked our lives before Christ.

To understand this gift of the Spirit, to enjoy the Spirit, we must begin by looking at ourselves. Our lives before Christ were full of darkness and sin, but the blood of Christ cleansed us from all unrighteousness. Without the work of the Spirit in our lives, convicting us of sin and leading us toward the righteousness that only God can give, we would quickly return to the sin that so easily besets us. 

As we begin to study the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the instruction of Christ to pray for the Spirit, we must consider whether or not we are allowing the Spirit of God access to our lives. Is the Spirit directing us or not? Are we continuing to embrace the same sin that has caused so much sorrow and destruction in our lives or are we allowing the Spirit to convict and cleanse us of that sin? If we are to have the gifts of the Spirit, we must first have the cleansing of the Spirit.

Tomorrow, we will look at this gift in more detail, but for today, let us allow the Spirit to shine the Light of God in our darkness, relinquish that darkness and sin, and once again experience the cleansing grace that only Christ can give.

Teach us to pray, part 42: Whose Kingdom is it?

"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 'Give us this day our daily bread. 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [ For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.' ] (Matthew 6:9-13 NASB

We've been studying the Model Prayer from Luke. Today, we are looking at the last phrase of the Model Prayer recorded by Matthew. Not all manuscripts include it, but the important truth it teaches is worth understanding.

"For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever." 

Jesus began His prayer with "Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed by Your name", which is an acknowledgement of God's position and importance (He is in heaven and His name is honored or hallowed). He ended that same prayer with another acknowledgement of God's position and authority. In a way, Jesus was acknowledging that everything belongs to our Father, who is the All Powerful, Omnipotent God and to whom all glory is given.

In a prayer that has asked God for provision, forgiveness, and deliverance, it is only right that I would stop to say, "This is what I'm asking for, Lord, but You are in charge and what You say goes." It is a form of submission to the will of God when I admit that He is the One who owns everything and rules everything, and that I do not. "You are the boss of my situation, Lord, and I bow to that authority." 

Specific prayers help me to know with certainty that God has answered my prayers.  Specific prayers make it easier, in a way, for me to see His hand at work, but I can't presume to know what is best in all situations. Often, all I know is what I want, not what God wants. It takes considerable faith for me to bring a situation to the Lord and say, "I don't know what is best here, but You do. I'm trusting You, Lord. Thy will be done." 

There are times, however, when I do know what God will want in a situation because it is clear from His Word. Sometimes, unfortunately, what He wants and what I want aren't quite the same. "For Yours is the kingdom" says that I accept what He wants, instead of what I want. I bow my will to His. 

This bowing to the will of God is exactly what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. That will was personally horrible for Jesus for a moment in time, but is glorious in eternity, and brought about the redemption of the world. When I look at that Cross, it seems too much to bear, too much to ask, even of Jesus. When I see the empty tomb, however, I see the wisdom in God's will. There are times when His will for us seems terrible, but on the other side of that terrible is something worth having. 

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, (2 Corinthians 4:17 NASB)

When I'm in the midst of "light affliction", the last thing I want is for it to continue. If I could only remember that "eternal weight of glory", perhaps I might not kick against the temporary affliction quite so hard. If I would remember that God is in charge and He is good, how much easier it would be! When I pray, "For Yours is the Kingdom", when I acknowledge that He is in charge and His plan is good, it makes it much easier to submit my will to His. 

How, then, should we pray? Let us pour our hearts out to God, with all our requests and desires, but, before we end our prayers, let us acknowledge Who is in charge, and leave the ultimate decision about our wants and needs to the One who cares most and knows best.

Teach us to pray, part 15: Jehovah Rapha, our Healer

And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 'Give us each day our daily bread. 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'" (Luke 11:2-4 NASB)

Jehovah Rapha'

The purpose in studying the names of God is to learn more about who He is by learning what He says about Himself, as well as what people say about Him as they experience His grace. Today, we look at one of my favorite names of God, Healer. Rapha comes from root words that mean "to sew together, to mend" and is used in Scripture in several ways. It is used to indicated healing a wound or a wounded person (as in sewing up the wound) as well as to heal a sick person of illness. Rapha is also used to indicate "healing" of a group of people, a nation, or land and, in this use, it carries the idea of restoration and pardon. Rapha is also used to indicate the giving of comfort, with the idea of healing a sorrow. 

When God says He is our healer, our Rapha, He means that He can, and will, heal our hurts, our physical ailments, our sorrows, and the results of our sin. In fact, the first time the word is used in Scripture is when He heals the barrenness of Abimelech's household as a result of Abraham's prayer. (Genesis 20:17) In Exodus 15:26, God promises that He will protect those who obey Him from the diseases of the Egyptians, "for I am the Lord that healeth thee". The Hebrew words translated as "I am the Lord that healeth thee" are actually "Yehovah rapha'" (Jehovah Rapha). 

Rapha is the word used when Elijah restored the altar of God (1 Kings 18:30) and for healing the land (2 Kings 2:21). It is also the word used when Elisha healed the poisonous water in the spring (2 Kings 2:21). Two years ago, I sat with my picnic lunch beside the spring of Elisha and drank from the water. Thousands of years ago, that water was miraculously healed by God and it is still clear and fresh, still healed, today. Isn't that how it should be with us? Healing is one of the ways that God demonstrates His power, as well as His love, for His people. When we have a hurt, be it physical or spiritual, that is completely healed by God, we should not only stay healed, but be a monument to His power for centuries to come. 

We will look at Rapha in greater depth as we go along, but, for today, let's remember the ways in which God has brought healing to our lives. Has He healed us physically, healed us of the blight of sin and it's consequences, healed our land, restored us when we were brokenhearted? Let's be sure to thank Him for the gift of healing He has accomplished and live in such a way that all can see the remarkable difference He has made in our lives. Let's be sure our lives are a monument to His power and love.