“1 I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day He was taken up, after He had given orders through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen. 3 After He had suffered, He also presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 While He was together with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Fathers promise. “This,” He said, “is what you heard from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6 So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1:1-8

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This is our transition period, the hand-off, the lateral pass before the run to the end zone. Jesus’ physical time on earth is coming to a close, and if His incarnation wasn’t miraculous enough, God was now choosing to take things another step further. He was going to entrust the work He began to us, and not only that, He was going to see it through by indwelling us with His Holy Spirit. 

For those who receive Christ as Lord and Savior, those who are baptized into Him, there was and still remains that promise that is almost unbelievable. The Infinite God of Creation, Lord of Heaven and Earth has designed and desired that He should enter into His people, guiding them, comforting them and bringing about the work of His will through them. Next year, I will have been a recipient of His Spirit for 30 years and I do not know if I have yet begun to comprehend what that truly means. He employs a mystery, and He does so within my own flesh. 

This brings both a severe conviction and an unruly hope. If the Living God dwells within me, apart from me, but active within me, then my every thought is not simply known by Him, but He is walking with me as I am having them. He knows the justifications I build, not simply because He is the Omniscient One, but because He is experiencing them from within me. He is literally -with- me in my hopes and fears, joys, sorrows, worries and celebrations. He knows my disappointments, and again, not simply because He already knows all there is to know, but because He has shown me this love, that He would join me, from within, in those moments. He is within me and my refuge at the same time. What a blessing! 

This is where that unruly hope comes into play, that despite all of me, who I am, He is right here with me to walk me through it all. If I will shut up, be still and let Him lead. And I am so good at trying to just press on in my own so-called ‘strength.’ And when I have exhausted myself once again, He is right there, smiling and ready for me to hand over the controls. Like a child, I am bullheaded and think that I can do more than I am capable of doing, and I don’t learn the old lesson again until I have worn myself too thin once more. 

He is my Banner -over- me. My Rock, my Shield and my Fortress! And if I am to GoLove others as He has commanded all His disciples to do, then I need to step aside and let Him lead. I also need to remember that I need to be poured into, that I am going to fall short. I need Him. But that has been His plan from the beginning, He knows…