God hovers over the waters...
“As the Spirit was moving over the waters
Spirit, come move over us”
Rest on us, Maverick City Music
“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
Genesis 1:2:
In the beginning - before the foundations of the Earth was laid - God had us in mind.
Fearfully and wonderfully created in the secret place of a mother’s womb, God has knit together a destiny blueprint for each of us - hiding deep within us potential and purpose.
But many of us find ourselves in a state of emptiness, formlessness and darkness - not yet having truly come into being.
It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word used in Genesis 1:2: for ‘waters’ is ‘mayim’,
The word ‘mayim’, although unrelated etymologically, sounds a lot like our English word ‘mayhem’ - defined as violent or extreme disorder and chaos. What is even more interesting is the fact that the Hebrew ‘mayim’ comes from the root ‘mem’ which is also translated as chaos.
The world is, much like in Genesis 1:2: in a state of emptiness, formlessness and darkness. As a result many of us, our worldview being shaped by the world instead of the world being shaped by our worldview, are in this same state of confusion, desolation and chaos.
But God hovers over the waters - He hovers over our chaos seeking to bring it to order.
He wants to turn the hollowed out earth of our hearts into hallowed ground.
Paul writes the following in his second epistle to the Corinthians: ”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here!”
In the Old Testament the Hebrew word ‘mayim’ is also used to represent, symbolically, the nations - the peoples of the Earth.
God hovers over His people - seeking to bring them to order. To reform. To restore. To make His creation new again.
This act of reformation and restoration takes place through the indwelling of His Spirit - His Spirit coming and resting on us, dwelling in us.
Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:16, 1 Peter 1:2)
It is not enough for us to just call on the name of Jesus - how could it be? Calling on the name of Jesus is just the beginning.
We need to open up our hearts and let Him do His work in us. He calls us to come as we are - unwashed and broken - but not to stay as we are. He wants to transform us. He wants to bring us to that place where we can see the fulfillment of His finished work in us. He wants to bring us to the place where we can see the fulfillment of the promise He has placed in us.
God created each and every one of us with a purpose and a plan. He placed within each of us promise and potential.
This being said, we are born into the ‘mayim’ of the world - into the chaos of the world - and come to Christ void, formless and out of darkness. We call on Christ and He pulls us out.
This is where His finished work in us begins.
This is where our physical reality starts catching up with His spiritual reality. It has all been ordained - the plans He has for us - it has already been paid for - the healing, the deliverance, the restoration.
It’s like getting a ticket to a concert.
There is a Kingdom experience that has been made available to each of us. The ticket has been bought by the blood of Christ. We enter into this experience through the door of His sacrifice, but that doesn’t mean we know where to go after that. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is how God ushers us to our assigned seats - that place from which we get to see God’s story for His children unfold - a story written, produced and directed by the Creator of the Universe.
He calls us out of the chaos of the crowd and into this Kingdom experience.
He calls us out of the chaos and into newness.
And all we need to do is accept the invitation. All we have to do is open up to Him today.
We do this, very simply, through prayer, spending time in His Word and in fellowship with our Christian brothers and sisters. Through the practice of spiritual disciplines we open up to Him, inviting Him to rest on us, to work in us - to be made manifest through us.
All it takes is a yielded yes today. A want and a willingness to seek Him, to see Him, to experience Him.
All it takes is a want and a willingness to accept the ticket that Christ paid for and show up. To say ‘here I am, Lord!’.
And as we do this - as we commit to Him and let Him in we will see our chaos be brought to order, we will see God speak light into our darkness and breathe life into our dry bones.
Prayer: Lord, today I invite You to come and rest on me - come and do Your work in me. Through Your Holy Spirit, lead me deeper into Your Word and Your will for my life. Through Your Holy Spirit, awaken in me a greater need and love for fellowship. Ignite in me, through Your Holy Spirit, a fire that drives me to pray and to seek You in all things so that I might ultimately see You in all things. Guide me in using my time productively, help me redeem my time so that I might experience the fullness of Your Kingdom unfolding around me. Lead me away from the things of this world, and deeper into the heart of the Kingdom. Bring me out of chaos and into order, out of darkness and into light - and let me become an agent and ambassador of Your Kingdom Come in the world around me. In Jesus Name. Amen.