Meditation: Consider the generosity of God’s ongoing presence with us, the Holy Spirit. We are never alone. How have you experienced the Spirit’s presence in your life? How is God present with you now?
My definitive experience of the Holy Spirit was when God spoke to me through Theresa, my sister in law, as she and I prayed together. God spoke to me in the most powerful way, touched the core of my being, and filled my heart in ways that I cannot put into words. This unfathomable power drilled into me an unshakable faith, assurance and, ultimately, thankfulness that I had never had before.
Every Bible study and prayer worship I had ever taken part in made perfect sense after that experience – knowledge became wisdom! Most importantly, I discovered and became confident in who I am to God and what it means to call Him my Father! The Holy Spirit made each Bible text come alive in my everyday life, each word in the Hymnals into very words of prayer, each prayer into deep conversation with the living God, and each thought yield to the will of God. Above all else, the presence of the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to God’s generosity, allowing me to realize my overflowing thankfulness for everything.
When John unexpectedly suffered an Aortic Dissection and had to go through emergency open heart surgery, the Holy Spirit provided me with an overwhelming sense of peace that anchored my soul, held me up, and led me to a place of hope and trust that all will be well. God’s love and grace enveloped me in the long hours during surgery and while waiting for John to wake up from heavy anesthesia. God’s presence also gave me strength in the long and cautious recovery period, during which I witnessed John encounter the power of the Holy Spirit himself.
Even during the most difficult times, I know the Holy Spirit holds me up and guides me through them. The peace that surpasses all understanding anchors my soul to know (and not just believe) God is with me physically, mentally and spiritually. God is good all the time, all the time God is good! I know this to be true because of the generous presence of the Holy Spirit, who gives us all things good and makes good in all things for our benefit. Thanks be to God!