A Journey Into Divine LoveSample

Be Obedient to the Deep and Loving Work of the Holy Spirit

How many times do we spur ourselves to action—but not the action He wants? Rather, we go to the place of distractions. Think of it like this: maybe the Lord is calling someone to serve in a homeless shelter, but instead of obeying, he increases his Christian activity by going to all sorts of conferences, reading numerous books by Christian authors, and joining Bible studies—all while avoiding being obedient to serve at the homeless shelter to which he has been called. Beloved ones, we will not find the Lord unless we obey Him! The deep fellowship we desire does not come without obedience.

God will not be impressed if we are running diligently around “the city” when He has called us to “the mountaintop.”

The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, and I said, “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” —Song 3:3

There are seasons in our lives and in the lives of others when God is doing such deep work that we need to give it space and not allow anything to disrupt it. There are seasons in life when the Holy Spirit ministers to us and brings us to a new level in the Lord Jesus. We need to be careful when these seasons are happening not to disrupt what He is doing by getting too busy or by letting personal interactions disturb us.

We also must do the same when we sense that somebody else is being deeply impacted by the Holy Spirit. Be careful not to disrupt what is happening. Let’s not be like the daughters of Jerusalem, who needed more sensitivity. Don’t pry, don’t keep asking questions, and don’t demand explanations. Give them plenty of space “until love pleases,” and allow the Spirit to finish His job undisturbed.

Messiah Jesus overcame the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4). The wilderness can also represent a time of feeling lost or empty. Maybe you feel you are in a wilderness right now. If so, Yeshua identifies with you and knows how to get you through that wilderness.

We might reasonably ask, “What is Jesus doing in the wilderness?” It is true that He never wandered away from the Father, but He had to defeat Satan in the wilderness and was identifying with you and me in our sinfulness, brokenness, and weakness. He was neither sinful nor weak but made Himself totally vulnerable to the human plight and overcame all on our behalf.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries, and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident. —Psalm 27:1–3

The Lord wants to build a sense of security in our lives. He wants us to deeply receive into our souls the revelation that we are well-protected on this earth.

When I look around, I see a world where evil abounds and bad things seem to happen at random—catastrophes, car wrecks, people losing jobs, losing their houses, losing their health. I know that if not for the protection of God in my life, random evil and chaos would destroy me. So I cry out to God, “Help me to know that You are protecting me. Help me to know that I am secure.”

One thing I have asked from the Lord that I shall seek is that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble, He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent, He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord. —Psalm 27:4–6