I love my Aunt Donna and Uncle Dan. My Uncle Dan was the greatest hugger ever. When my sister Lori was battling cancer, we lived four hours away. The day I received the phone call that Lori had been taken to the hospital for the last time, I immediately drove from OH to Beaumont Hospital in MI. When I got there, I went into the waiting room where my Aunt Donna and Uncle Dan were sitting and the moment I walked in, my Uncle Dan held out his arms and I fell int to them, sobbing. He was a great guy, but I also knew that he claimed to be an agnostic. So, when he died a couple years ago, I was concerned that he wasn’t in heaven… that is until I talked to his daughter, who reassured me that her pastor had led my Uncle Dan to the Lord on his deathbed. What an incredible gift God gave to me at that moment!
You can probably pinpoint a special gift you’ve been given too. But for each of us, there is one gift that stands out from the rest… the gift of the Holy Spirit. Our verses in 1 Corinthians 2:8-9 remind us that the Holy Spirit helps us understand God. And this gift hit home to me yesterday morning. I was struggling with thoughts about two of my loved ones. I was silently complaining about the path they’re on and their self-centeredness. My mind was heading down a dark rabbit hole… a place of utter discouragement.
But then I remembered what I know about God – what the Holy Spirit has revealed to me – that God is Sovereign. That means He doesn’t just govern the world on a global level, orchestrating nations and rulers, to accomplish His purposes. But His Sovereignty reaches down into my life and my family. I was reminded that He is still God, He’s still on the throne, and that He’s still in control. I was reminded that He hears and answers our prayers – in His timing for His glory. I was reminded that God’s got this.
Without the Holy Spirit giving me understanding of the One who sits on the throne and the One who is working out everything for His purposes for the world and for my family, I would have probably stayed in that dark place. That rabbit hole of darkness would have gotten bigger and I would have kept falling deeper into it. Instead, with these reminders before me, I was snapped right out of it. Instead of wallowing in despair, I began to praise God for all the Holy Spirit has revealed to me. And that He can do what I cannot do.
The Holy Spirit has revealed to you truths about God as well. Do you need to be reminded of His goodness, of His sovereignty, of His faithfulness? Do you need to remember that God has heard every one of your prayers, that He is working even if we can’t see or feel Him right now? Do you need to put your faith in the God you know?
You may be heading down a dark road, thinking of all the things you don’t like or the things you cannot control… dark things, dreary things. Your thoughts are leading you into a state of discouragement. Here’s a reminder… it doesn’t have to take us under. We can rise above it with hope, peace, and joy. But it has to start with what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you about God. Invite Him into that dark place today and rest in WHO HE IS, WHAT HE HAS PROMISED, and WHAT HE IS DOING right now. Rest in His divine purposes. I Hope this encourages you today.