WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT we cannot walk as Jesus walked. Without the Holy Spirit we cannot know the Father as Jesus knew him, believe what Jesus believed, think what Jesus thought, feel what Jesus felt, and we certainly cannot do what Jesus did. But with the Holy Spirit placed in us—seeded firmly, nurtured daily, growing daily, bearing fruit daily—we can! And through this, we know the Father as Abba: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1) But there are times when the Father seems distant.
Isaiah speaks of the fullness of the Spirit as “the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.” (Isa. 11:2) And John reminds that we are “to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” (1 John 3:23–24) Isaiah says that the Spirit “will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears.” (Isa. 11:3b) John inspires us with, “As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.” (1 John 2:27) John further says, “If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.” (1 John 2:29); and, “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” (1 John 3:3)
For most of us, our lives have personally encountered the story of the loss of innocence, the fall from grace, and a sense of separation from our Heavenly Father. Jesus spoke to this by example, gathering a child close to him, he said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matt. 19:14) The implication is that we approach our Father in childlike faith, believing what he has said about restoring us. We well-know we are not like the children of the world: “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:10) And we also know also that in times of separation from God there is a way back. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) We know we can approach our Father boldly: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb. 4:16), as we continue “walking in the light, as he is in the light, having fellowship with one another, as the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)
Restoring the relationship with God is always our responsibility, even as it is his pleasure. “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression?” (Micah 7:18) He merely awaits us to turn to repentance in true humility. But if we are long in arriving to that state of being, he will mercifully arrange circumstances to bring us there. Paul writes as an agent of God to the troubled Corinthian church about this matter. “Even if I caused you sorrow, yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you.” (2 Cor. 7:7-11) We must reckon and remember that “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials” (2 Pet. 2:9), and that for the faithful and obedient he “will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.” (Joel 2:25)
We’ve all spent a season in spiritual drought, or even an extended period of years of a dry spirit awaiting living waters to flow like streams from above—a “God where are you?” time. He is there. He has always been there, waiting. Isaiah uses a metaphor of the desert to describe the two-fold rejuvenation of restoration. One is for the land and people of Israel; the other is for all people of God. “Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.” (Isa. 35:6-7)
There is a song that speaks powerfully to our need for restoration: *“Come home, come home, ye who are weary come home. Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling O sinner, come home.” David’s own heart-cry can be heard echoing down the corridor of time. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psa. 51:1-2, 12)
Oh, how we need the Holy Spirit! And how precious it is that the Father has given Him in fullness to each of us through his Son, and with Him, the knowledge, wisdom, encouragement of him, and even rebuke by his very hand. All this is needed for our walk in this temporary world.
Q. Is my happiness in this world, or is my joy in the Lord?
*“Softly and Tenderly” – Baptist Hymnal, 1991.
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