“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.” (2Cor. 13:14)
The three persons of the Godhead are united in purpose, but they have different personalities and functions. In our pursuit of God, it is important to know and relate to each Person of the Trinity. One of the ways to do this is in prayer and worship.
In my last article (Streams in the Desert) I shared about my experience in releasing the River of Life by faith. As I continue to listen to the messages of the forerunners, I am finding that my method of cooperating with the Holy Spirit is expanding. I am engaging with my imagination in new ways. When I release the River by faith, I begin to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit. As I meditate on being “in” the Holy Spirit, the sense of His presence grows. I appreciate the communion of the Holy Spirit, but that is not my goal. My desire is to worship the Father and the Son, and I do that while consciously abiding in the Spirit because “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1Cor. 12:3).
I see myself “in” the Holy Spirit, and I also see myself “in” Christ. We know that Jesus is both man and God. As members of His Body, we are “in Him” offering our worship to the Father. “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1Pe. 2:5). On the earth Jesus worshiped and prayed to the Father. In heaven, He continues His role as Christ: “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:25). As born-again believers we are new creations, and it is important that we identify with this new reality. We are not independent, but individually members of His Body. (Rom. 12:5). My meditation then, is to see myself as part of Christ, offering worship and prayer to the Father.
To worship the Son, I like to see myself as a “living stone” in the temple of God. The temple is alive because it is a spiritual house made up of royal priests, who are anointed by the Holy Spirit to “offer up spiritual sacrifices”. Viewing myself as part of the temple is also a corporate image. Sometimes I like to worship the Son by seeing Him as the Lamb of God as He appears in the book of Revelations. “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev. 5:12).
I am not afraid to pursue God with my imagination. It is one of the ways to commune with the Holy Spirit. As I do this, I am not trying to create an image, I am trying to engage with the Spirit using the Word of God. We are exhorted in Scripture to meditate on His Word. In Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2, the word “meditate” is translated from the Hebrew word “hagah” which means “to mutter” and “to ponder” (Strong’s #1897). In Psalm 119, the word “meditate” is used a few times and is translated from the Hebrew word “siyach” which means “to ponder” and “to converse with oneself, or utter” (Strong’s #7878). Our “pondering” on the Word should not simply be an activity of the mind, but of our spirit by faith. As we ponder, we should speak out in prayer (silently or out loud) the images the Word we are meditating upon.
Jesus taught us that the Word is a seed which must be planted in the soil of our hearts. When a seed is planted, it needs moisture and heat to germinate. Two symbols used for the Holy Spirit are water and fire. Through meditation, the Holy Spirit gives us understanding, which prevents the enemy from snatching the Word from us (Matt. 13:19). With understanding we can keep the Word, until it bears fruit in us (Matt. 13:23). The principle of meditation applies largely to believing the promises of God, but it also applies to our fellowship with God. God is spirit so we relate to Him with our spirit. Our natural life (soul and body) benefits from this fellowship if we allow the Holy Spirit to influence our soul through our spirit.
Meditating on the Word of God allows the Holy Spirt to fulfill His role as our Teacher (Jn. 14:26) and Guide (Jn. 16:23). He leads us to inspired teachings, which He witnesses to in our inner man. When the Apostle John said that we have no need of anyone to teach us (1Jn. 2:27), he was not diminishing the value of anointed ministers. These are gifts to the Church (Eph. 4:11). He was emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit in our instruction. When we hear anointed teachings, we are “hearing” the Word. To make the teaching our own, we need to put it into practice. Between “hearing” and “doing” we must gain greater understanding from the Holy Spirit through study and meditation.
There are other ways that the Holy Spirit helps us. He is active in the transformation of our soul by helping us to be free from the world (Rom. 8:12-14). “And when He comes, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” (Jn. 16:8). As we walk with the Holy Spirit in this area, we develop the fruit of the Spirit.
He also helps us to minister to others. “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.” (1Cor. 12:7). These gifts of the Spirit are not independent of Him. We must work in partnership with Him because He “works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” (1Cor. 12:11).
Other symbols, like oil or prophetic mantles, can be meditated upon as we fellowship with the Holy Spirit. This is one way to “stir up the gift” that is in us (2Tim. 1:6). There are many more symbols in Scripture which can be used in communion with the Holy Spirit to help us to know and to serve God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Highway in the Wilderness 