Desperate dependence, eager expectation, and humble responsiveness. These three attitudes play such an important role as we try to worship through the Holy Spirit. How often, though, do these attitudes move from our head to our heart and finally to our actions? I've known in my head for a long time that I am supposed to be dependent, expectant, and responsive to the Spirit and I have often even said some of these words in prayers before services, but the problem is that I have often let them just become routine words of prayer rather than honest God seeking prayer. In the past I have prayed things like this, "God, let your Spirit move in power among your people this morning, let our eyes be opened to see You." Did I really expect anything to happen outside of the routine? Sadly, I often have not. Part of the problem though is that I didn't really know what I should be looking for.
"When people grasp something of God's glory, the Spirit is at work. When people are convicted of sin, the Spirit is at work. When people receive hope and strength in the midst of a trial, the Spirit is at work. The Spirit may also choose to demonstrate His presence through a prophetic impression, a healing, or a heightened awareness of His nearness." (p. 84)
These are some of the things that we can come praying for and expecting the Spirit to do. As Kauflin mentions, the Spirit moving doesn't mean there has to be some dramatic spectacle of healing. It could mean that, but I think the Spirit is more interested in changing people's lives and hearts then in putting on a show. When we are convicted through the words of a song or the message that is preached and are brought to repentance as we fall upon God's grace and mercy, the Spirit is there. When we are humbled by the sacrifice that Jesus made for us and we realize our own inadequacy apart from Christ, the Spirit is there. When we are filled with joy, awe, or wonder as we learn about and come to realize an aspect of God's greatness and character that we haven't seen before, The Spirit is there. When we are simply overwhelmed and brought to tears because of the love that the Father has shown us, the Spirit is there. This list could go on and on about the different ways that the Spirit shows Himself and works in our lives but these are some things that we can be looking for both in ourselves and in others.
Our job, as Kauflin has made clear in this chapter, is to be desperately dependent on the Spirit, to eagerly expect Him to work, and to Humbly respond to Him. How? "Prayer is one of the primary ways we show that we're desperately dependent on God." (p. 83) This isn't talking about simply saying "help us to do well, God" before we begin a service. This is talking about a lifestyle of prayer where we are communicating with God throughout our day, every day. In a sense this involves making the Spirit a part of ourselves, allowing Him to take control of our thoughts, our actions. It means submitting ourselves in every way to His leadership. I'll tell you right now, this is no easy task but it is an exciting and rewarding experience that can continue throughout our lifetime.
As we show our dependence through prayer we need to begin looking for the Spirit's movement. After all when we are expecting a package or something in the mail, what do we do? We look for it. We watch and see if the delivery truck is stopping at our house. We go out to the mailbox or post office and check our box to see if it has come yet. This is what we should do in regard to the Spirit as well, only much more so! Rather then waiting around for something random and spectacular to happen, let's start praying specifically in God's will and start looking for the answers.
Then when we are living a lifestyle of prayer and we're looking for answers we need to begin listening with a humbleness and readiness to respond to the Spirit's leading. Humility comes into play as we realize that we are no longer in control of our lives, but that we have handed control over to God. We must not tear the controls away from God when He asks us to do something uncomfortable, difficult, or even painful. Our self-serving nature has to be put aside. We have to humble ourselves and respond to His voice.
These are all things that I'm really wrestling with and working on in my own life and it can be very difficult at times. Reading through these chapters is a great help and writing out my thoughts on this blog is useful to focus and pinpoint the areas that I'm working on. How is the Spirit working in your life? What has He shown you this week? Are you moving towards a greater dependence on, expectancy of, and responsiveness to the Spirit? Take some time each day this week to specifically pray and talk about these things with God. Try to begin a lifestyle of prayer, if you haven't already, by focusing on being aware of the Spirit's presence and leading no matter where you are.
No comments:
Post a Comment