Oct 11, 2010
Do We Want the Holy Spirit Just for Ourselves?
When I pray and set aside quiet time to be with the Lord, I sometimes make a huge mistake. As I seek the Lord and fellowship with him, I become fixated on experiencing him.
I want the Spirit of God to come upon me, and my goal is to somehow validate my relationship with God or to prove that he’s true. It’s a kind of therapeutic, self-help, feel-good experience of God that really has little to do with God and everything to do with me.
God provides us ways to guard ourselves from this outlook, and I’m working on cultivating these as disciplines.
First of all, when we enter God’s presence with praise and adoration (as in the “A” in the ACTS prayer guide), we take our focus off ourselves. As we praise God, we break away from our focus from our concerns about money, insecurity, or disappointments in life.
Secondly, we can remain open to hearing from God in order to do the work that he has called us to. It is striking in scripture that with the Spirit usually comes some kind of commission or action to pursue.
Sometimes it’s as simple as, “Pray for this person.” Other times I need to stop obsessing about something. And then there may come a pretty huge, life-altering mission.
When the Spirit came on Isaiah, he didn’t just bask in the warm, holy goodness of God. In Isaiah 61:1, we read that he was anointed to preach the good news to the poor. This meant that Isaiah had to change his plans dramatically.
Seeking out God’s Spirit can result in a life-changing moment. We may never be the same. The status quo may be redefined. Are we willing to risk that when we seek the Lord and the presence of his Spirit?
Growing up in a Pentecostal tradition I have seen, and participated in, the mistakes you speak of; though usually in a more public context. Using the presence of the Holy Spirit to get your buzz on, and as a source of smug superiority, rather than as an enabler to further the Kingdom of God.
I find myself spending much more of my time seeking the presence of the Holy Spirit as a place to be still and listen. In all of the things that Jesus did, the teaching, the miracles, the healings, he only did what he saw the Father doing. He was always under authority, and he could hear what needed doing.
If I want to practice what I believe, that the Holy Spirit can work through me everything he worked through the Apostles, then I need to learn to hear that voice. I can pray and believe all I want, but if it’s not what the Father is doing, well, it’s not likely going to happen.
Ed,
It seems that some of us find ourselves in this predicament more than we would like. After having a lengthy discussion on faith and spiritual growth with one of my religious mentors, he made an observation that caught me quite off-guard. He told me that I used the word “I” an awful lot when speaking about faith and that maybe my focus was a bit on the inward side rather than looking outward toward others. After a bit of reflection, I came to the conclusion that he was right! Our focus should not be on finding that warm cozy with God just to enjoy him for ourselves, we should absorb his glory and let it flow forth, our fountain of living water for the benefit of others. Love for others was Jesus’ message, and I think many of us could use a bit more focus in that area.
Thanks for sharing your stories Ryan and Justin. I’m glad to hear that my struggles are common ones and that God is already on the case.
It was nice of you not to comment on the fact that I used the word “doing” in two consecutive sentences. Makes me wince.
I never, ever comment on the grammar of anyone who leaves a comment. I’m grateful that you stopped by to share part of your story. I take the Andrew Jones line of blogging where it’s like an extension of your front porch… though I currently do not have a coveted front porch.
In fact, I didn’t even notice the double doing.
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Here’s my problem (besides waking up in a contrarian mood today): I think selfishness in His presence gets a bad rap. Settling into His presence is the best place to be–my problem is I don’t want to be there enough. I’m in too big a hurry to get with the program, even if it’s his. It’s just enough to be with him. I’m willing to believe he will tell me when it’s time to go or if he has something on his mind.
Some of my snarkiness today comes from a general distrust of methodologies (ACTS) and a conviction that our western mindset drives us toward action instead of being. Clearly, he has work for us to do, and he invites us to partner with him, but my relational side whispers to me, “Be with him. Drink him in. The rest will come in due time.”
But it could just be my mood today.
Point taken. I think the difference is that I’m talking more about “seeking” God’s presence just to give myself some kind of fix rather than actually just resting and sitting with open hands (a la Nouwen). If I can make it into God’s presence, then the way there isn’t quite that important. However, I run into frustration when I’m seeking God in a kind of introspective way, which kind of kills the whole thing from the get go!
I also understand your suspicion of methodologies, but keep in mind that they can have their place, whether as something Eastern like fixed hour prayer, a liturgy, or something more western like the ACTS thing. They have their limits for sure, but for someone who needs to be reminded that God asks us to enter his presence with songs of praise, they can be a help.
Love the post, Ed. Simple and true.