"Fill your thoughts with my words until they penetrate deep into your spirit." Proverbs 4
There is no room in my head for more thoughts. In fact, I often think there are too many thoughts swirling around at once and it leads me to overwhelm and exhaustion. How can I fill what little space remains with God's words? Isn't that just one more thing that I have to cram into my already over-capacity brain?
In comes the hero who can save the day.
When Jesus was talking to his disciples before he was going to be betrayed and killed, he told them that it was actually to their benefit that he leave them so that he could send them the spirit. The Holy Spirit as we most often refer to it, is called various things - Spirit of Truth, Divine Encourager, Spirit of God, Spirit of the Promise, Comforter, or even Spirit of the Lord. Another word also appears in ancient texts: Paraclete. This word literally means advocate, counselor or helper.
So when I want to fill my mind with thoughts that will bring life and light but I seem unable to on my own - that is when I can call on the paraclete, the divine helper. The Spirit's goal is to remind me of all of the things that Jesus said while on Earth - and we know that He spoke only the words that came from Yahweh, the Father. These are the life-giving words that will quiet my anxious mind if I can ever get them in there. The spirit comes to reveal what I do not yet know and to remind me of the divine truths that I do know, so that I can fill my thoughts with God's words until they penetrate deep into my spirit. Until they take root. Until they become a part of me. Until they override the never-ending spinning thoughts from the outside world that make me dizzy.
I don't need the physical Jesus sitting by my side and speaking words of wisdom to me (but wouldn't that be awesome?). Instead I have the invisible helper who can weave into my very mind the truths Jesus taught and help to plant them deep within me.
Practice the quiet art of making room for the Holy Spirit to speak truth into your mind, to comfort your heart and to anchor the peace of God deep into your spirit where it will grow and bear fruit that will bless not just your life, but those who live in your world.
"But when the truth-giving Spirit comes, he will unveil the reality of every truth within you." John 16:13
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