Power from on High

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
 Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move.
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art,
 And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart
By: George Croly, 1780-1860

Listen as you read.  This is a nice string quartet version.

On Tuesday we considered the first and last lines of this stanza, centered in on inviting the Spirit to come and pour God’s love into our hearts.  Today as we examine the middle two lines we will wrestle with the our weakness and the opportunity it presents for the allures of this world, even as we continue the invite the Spirit to move in every pulse of our hearts.  Let’s think about this.

Weaned from Earth

Weaning is a painful process.  It speaks to the gradual removal of something that we felt at some point and in some measure we had to have, but have since realized otherwise.  It is like working to break a bad habit, at least in terms of the effort required and the pain caused.

One use of wean means to free from an unusually unwholesome habit or interest.  This gets a little closer to what the writer is asking of the Holy Spirit.  The flesh is inclined to unwholesome habits and interests and pursues them diligently among the materials of earth.

I think to some extent we really do not know what we are asking for in this noble, earnest prayer.  The end will be truly beneficial, but the means by which we will likely get there will likely be difficult.  Charles Spurgeon put it this way,  “The Lord’s mercy often rides to the door on the black horse of affliction.  Jesus uses the whole range of our experiences to wean us from earth and woo us to Heaven.”

So we ask the Holy Spirit to wean us from earth and His answer just may come in the form of affliction.  That experience generally strips away what we thought mattered and gets us to desire what actually does.  As we transfer our longing from earthly things to Heavenly ones, we find a very different rhythm to living.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  Galatians 5:16 ESV

Those longings for the things of earth effectively make us sick, without even knowing it.  Walking in the Spirit, allowing Him to direct every pulse of our intellect, will and emotions, is the antidote for this malady.  Ask Him to be that for you today.

Pulsating with the Spirit

Being weaned from earth and pulsating with the Holy Spirit are two sides of the same coin.  The more we invite the Spirit to beat in our hearts, the less we are inclined to long for the things of earth.  But conversely, the more we long for the things of earth, the less we are inclined to invite the Spirit to beat in our hearts.  

So it becomes a decision of the mind, an act of the will, to pursue a better path.  One marked by the rhythm of the Spirit.  Oh, that the Holy Spirit would help our hearts to manage without some of the things of earth of which we have become increasingly fond.  Oh, that we would sense His presence moving through every pulse of our hearts. Ask Him for these things.

Sounds easy, right?  Wrong!

If you have walked with Jesus for any length of time you know better.  How? By experience.

Stoop to My Weakness

You have likely experienced the frustration of knowing what to do, but lacking the power to do so.  But the truth is we do not lack the power, we simply fail to tap into it.  Because the Spirit is like Abraham Lincoln in this image.  This quote has been attributed to numerous people so I am uncertain as to who said it, but it illustrates what God has already done and is continually willing to do:  stoop down to help us since He is familiar with how weak we are.

We are weak, but He is strong.  What perfect vessels to put His glory on full display, ones that can truly take no credit for the work He does in them!  Humble yourself, by admitting your weakness, and His strength.  Receive the power He has already made available to you.  Not certain that power is available to you?  Consider this Scripture.

All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.   1 Corinthians 12:11 ESV

The Spirit works in us to produce fruit that is beneficial for our lives and those around us, including the Church.  We need His empowering because we are weak. He gives to each according to His will. Ask Him to give you power from on high to engage in God’s will and work.

Deliberate Thinking!

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