Romans 8:14
“For all who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s children.”
“Holy Spirit” by Jesus Culture. This song takes me back. It was the summer before my Junior year of High School. I was in San Antonio at a Christian Youth Convention (The LCMS National Youth Gathering) and we were in a huge arena singing. 25,000 youth standing there singing this song. I can still hear the lyrics to the chorus if I close my eyes and remember that time now.
“Holy Spirit, you are welcome here
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your Glory God is what our hearts long for
To be overcome by your presence, Lord”
This song spoke to me then as one of the first times that I was able to truly worship in a place where I was overcome by the Holy Spirit. I was moved emotionally, but I felt it deeper than just my normal emotions. I felt connected to the people in the room and to God.
I love this song because it is an expression of what my faith is. A longing to be close to God. A call to the Holy Spirit to come and overcome me. To overcome my fears, my worries, my confusions, my sadness, my emotions. The bridge is a plea for just that.
“Let us become more aware of your presence
Let us experience the Glory of Your Goodness”
I love to study the Bible and learn about why each part matters. I love to inspect the details and try to make sense of everything. I feel close to God through investigation. I struggle with sitting back and being held. With sitting back and truly resting in the knowledge of peace. So, when the song says, “Let us experience the Glory of Your Goodness,” I am truly asking for that as well. Sometimes when I sing those words, I have the same experience I did in High School. Sometimes I feel completely different. But that’s what is beautiful. God’s presence, His adoring, Fatherly love is more than a feeling. It is more than a mountaintop experience that I once had. It is real and exists beyond my feeling. It exists beyond my awareness. My relationship with God’s presence and His goodness is stable because I know that God is good and separate from my current feelings. He has proven Himself time and time again.