Saturday, February 25, 2023

 

Saturday, February 25, 2023


Psalm 135

Genesis 38:12-20

Luke 11:5-13


“How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”


It wasn’t all that long ago that we were in the season of giving gifts to one another. Gift-giving is hard work; receiving gifts even more so. Probably the most difficult part is unwrapping a gift that has been given with much pomp and ceremony – that this gift is exactly what you asked for – only to find it is slightly off: perhaps it is the wrong brand of doohickey, or an older book in the series you have been reading.


A phenomenon that no-one has been able to replicate under the Christmas tree is the gift that God has given us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Our heavenly Father is our good father, a father who loves us perfectly, will never do us harm, is always there to care for us, and knows us perfectly. What kind of gift does this kind of Father give?


He gives us the greatest gift He has to give. God the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, is the miracle-worker. He is the One who dwells within our body; who joins our spirit to that of God. The Holy Spirit is the One who speaks to us daily, and we hear His voice behind us, saying “this is the path, walk in it”. (Isaiah 30:21) The Holy Spirit is our advocate: He is the God Who Stands Up For Us. He is the One who opens our eyes so that we can perceive the beauty of Christ as He truly is.


The Holy Spirit works miracles in our daily life: He keeps us safe when we sleep, and wakes us up in the morning. He sends us birds to sing for us, the sun to shine on us, rain to fall when it gets too hot. He delivers the daily bread which our Father has provided. With our finite minds and limited imaginations, we go to our heavenly Father asking for the most we can think of. Our heavenly Father responds with the best thing we could never dream of. That the heavenly Father would give the Holy Spirit to those ask is so wonderful it is no wonder Jesus exclaims this so strongly!



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