The Phil Files

Every once in awhile, I actually write something that makes me think. No, I don’t think it’s profound, but it does capture something I’ve wrestled with in my thoughts and emotions and finally get a handle to put those into words. As I email visited with someone about our struggle to leave behind past hurts and the brokenness that most of us carry, she used the act of breathing deeply as a metaphor for receiving grace and how it sometimes hurts to finally breathe good air. Somewhere in the give an take, the following thought came to me in words as I thought about the Holy Spirit as God’s Good Air:

We’re all just trying to learn to breathe good air, and when we do, we have to cough the crud we’ve been breathing for so long out of our lungs. Such is life in a fallen world when we get to breathe in the Wind of heaven. Here’s to The Good Air!

Like I said, it sure isn’t profound, but it was what was hung between emotions and thoughts that couldn’t be stated. Life filled by the Holy Spirit is at times both gloriously wonderful and also agonizingly painful. But the metamorphasis that takes place in us as we are on our way to become more like Jesus requires both — at least it does in me.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate [and reflect] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever–increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

So here’s to God’s gift of The Good Air!

More than a decade ago, I was waiting in line at the bank drive through — and yes, Murphy’s law of lines applies to me always: “Whichever line you are in will move most slowly!” — when I heard the dreadful news: the average North American will spend 5-7 years of her or his life waiting in line.

I hate waiting. I really hate it. I’m not good at it. I don’t want to do it. I drive everyone crazy when I have to do it. So you can imagine my eyes stopped at Luke’s description of the Jesus’ command (found in Luke 1, our daily Bible reading today, February 3) to His closest followers before He concluded His time here on good ol’ planet earth:

//Inspiration: Luke 1:4
On one occasion, he [Jesus] gave them [his closest followers] this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.

//Incarnation:
So much had happened in the lives of Jesus and His closest followers. They had failed their faithfulness test: Judas had betrayed his friend Jesus with a kiss for thirty pieces of silver, Peter had cursed and sworn he never knew Jesus, and the other ten of twelve apostles abandoned their Lord and ran away in fear. Hiding in their secure upper room bunker, they had their circuits blown and re-wired by the appearance of Jesus, who showed that He was truly alive and not the figment of their tired, weary, and disbelieving brains. The Lord had restored Peter to leadership and ministry. The Lord had shown Himself alive to hundreds of people. The Lord had opened their minds to understand the promises of the Old Testament made about Him. So why did they need to WAIT?
Two simple reasons. First, Jesus commanded them to wait: the Lord’s command was enough to silence the raging sea of Galilee, cast out demons, and make broken people well. Plus, this time the command came from Jesus risen from the dead. Obedience was enough of a reason to wait. Second, the Lord explains why they needed to wait. They needed to pray and seek God, so that when it was the Father’s timing, Jesus could pour out the Spirit and empower them.
Sometimes, I’m sure more often than I want to admit, I need to hear the Lord’s voice call out to me, “But wait!” The waiting has nothing to do with pleasing people or stalling God’s work of transformation till people are ready. The waiting has nothing to do with trying to keep everybody on the same page. The waiting has nothing to do with everyone needing to be ready for what they are about to do next. Some of those reasons may be judicious, wise, and compassionate. None of them, however, are the reason for the Lord’s words.
“But wait!” was the command issued because the work of the Kingdom, the will of God, the power from above, does not come because of our sense of timing. This empowering by the Spirit must be sought in prayer, most certainly (see Luke 11:13; Acts 4:31). Yet, ultimately, the empowering of the Spirit is God’s work, prayerful waiting is our beckoning of God to work and our willingness to recognize that no God-ordained work of the Kingdom can succeed without God’s power being released to accomplish it.
So in this frantic two week period of time when I’ve got way more to do than I accomplish before heading out to Uganda with Compassion International, I must hear the Lord’s voice say, “But wait!” As busy as I think I need to be to get ready for this trip, I need to be in prayer and seek the release of His power. Without Him, without His blessing and power and without my waiting in prayer, I will only proceed on my own strength … and I’m not strong enough for the opportunities and challenges ahead!

//Invitation:
Come, Lord Jesus, and empower me. I will do my best to wait in your presence and seek the Father’s will. I will be open to Your leading and seek to follow Your guidance. But, dear Lord, I will also wait … and listen … and trust … and anticipate. May all of this be to your honor and glory. Amen.