LIGHTING UP THE MIND

As important as study and meditation are to knowing God, these activities themselves won’t guarantee that we are led into intimate heart communion with him. Something else is necessary. That ‘something’ is the activity of the Holy Spirit enlightening our minds and arousing our hearts.

This hidden work of the Spirit within us is one that most people acknowledge but few think deeply about. That’s partly because it is mysterious, a subject that Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper described as “unspeakably tender … touching the inmost secrets of God and the soul’s deepest mysteries” (The Work of the Holy Spirit, p. 3). Given its delicacy it is perhaps foolhardy to have a particular fascination with it. But that, nevertheless, is true of me.

As a young Christian I was aware that there were times when I read my Bible and nothing particular happened. I read, understood, and moved on. On other occasions however, the words of the Bible sparkled like diamonds. They seemed to light up my whole being and penetrate to the depths of my soul. On those occasions I knew something beyond mere comprehension was taking place.

Later I came to understand that this was part of the Holy Spirit’s work within us. Over time I began to recognize, as Jonathan Edwards had helpfully expressed so many years before, that there are basically four things that happen when the Holy Spirit illuminates his word.

First, the Spirit gives us clarity and depth of understanding. We see things in a clearer light than we ever saw them before, and we see much more deeply into them. It’s not a matter of seeing new things that aren’t in the Bible, but of seeing their spiritual significance, and especially their personal relevance.

Second, the Spirit characteristically makes his word very appealing, or desirable. I couldn’t but recognize how glorious and right and good the Bible was when I saw it in the light of the Spirit. Edwards (like the psalmists) spoke of the “sweetness” of the word when accompanied the Spirit’s activity (see Ps. 19:10; 119:103).

Thirdly, I noticed the certainty of understanding that followed whenever the Spirit seemed to be at work. What I read in the Bible was impressed upon my mind and heart with such an assurance that it had to be believed. It left me in no doubt at all that it was God’s word and that it was true..

Finally, I noticed that whenever the Holy Spirit was present and active the Bible spoke to me with an authority that gave it compelling force. I was stirred to do something. God’s word became a powerful motivating force in my life. True, I could ignore it – at my peril – but it was nevertheless a force that I couldn’t deny.

The overall effect of this was in my life was the awareness that God is a living God, one who meets us through his word and Spirit and speaks to us. This affects deeply on our sense of fellowship with him. Indeed it is a vital aspect of experiential Christianity. Just as God related to Adam and Eve through speech at the dawn of the world, he continues to connect with us today through his word and Spirit. In the measure we experience this, we are likely to know and enjoy him as our God and Friend.

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