The Spirit Makes It Make Sense

The Holy Spirit doesn’t need much to work with.

Think of how little information Mary had been given by the angel. But the Holy Spirit came over her, not only so that she would conceive a son, but also so that she would believe the promise. We call Mary blessed because of the Spirit’s work in her.

Think of even how much less information Elizabeth had, about her own son, let alone about Mary’s pregnancy or the gender, let alone the identity, of Mary’s son. But the Holy Spirit filled her, and she knew.

We have our complete copies of the canon of Scripture. We have conveniences and cadences of worship, including weekly communion. We don’t question if there will be bread or wine on the table. We have a lot.

But it is still the Holy Spirit who makes any of it make sense. Yes we have the Bible, but only by the Spirit do we understand it. It is the Holy Spirit alone who can give us true joy. We sing, but it’s the Spirit who makes it pleasing to the Father. We eat and drink, but it’s the Spirit who gladdens our hearts. We remember Jesus, but it’s the Spirit who enables us to rejoice in Jesus.

We who believe have been “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13–14 ESV).