Something happened to me that changed my life markedly.
Elsewhere I have shared the experience that changed my engagement with God from a cerebral undertaking to being consumed with a passion for Him. It is something that I don’t expect a stranger to properly comprehend, because it took me a while to get around what happened, but it is not too dissimilar from key elements of the creation account in Genesis.
As with the beginning to all intents and purposes I was in darkness and meandering in chaos. Unbeknownst to me the Spirit of God was hovering and when the Word was expressed I saw the light. As with the making of man, I was a shell crafted by God’s hand but without His Spirit within, I was merely existing. Yet in His mercy He breathed in me the breathe of life and I was animated with an awareness of what it was to be alive.
My love for the Father and the Son was ignited by His presence in me. It was not just a thought thing, the experience made more apparent the redefinition process where the Creator defined His creation and I started the journey of being shaped to be like the Son to the glory of the Father.
I read about episodes like Pentecost and subsequent Holy Spirit awakenings and I get excited that in my time others will come to know Him through such encounters as the good news is expressed in Word and Power.
I am thus very grateful for the Holy Spirit. I am grateful that in chaos He hovers waiting to impact lives. As Jesus would later say, like the wind we don’t know where He came from and where He’s going, but we know we’ve been swept up by the power of His presence.
I am very grateful for the outpourings that continue to make dead alive. I am very grateful for the indwelling that makes life in Christ possible and richly fulfilling. I am very grateful for the overflowing that means lives around those in whom the Spirit lives are affected. They witness expressions of the Spirit at work and fellow followers are encouraged to pursue life in the Spirit for the glory of the Most High God.
I am very grateful for the far-reaching effects of the Holy Spirit that means in 2014 I can read of His exploits around the world for over 2000 years. I am very grateful because in the same way it impacted lives, relationships and communities over the years, that same power that rose Jesus from the dead can transform a life of a young man in a quaint town in England and that impacts lives in Thailand, Fiji, Ghana, and elsewhere.
I am very grateful because these Kingdom exploits by His power are the prelude to the glorious reality of the Second Coming where we will enjoy Him forever.
Thank God for the Holy Spirit.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 