Holy Spirit as Wind: Blowing Away

I Samuel 16:14

 Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. ~ NRSV

 Now the Spirit of the Lord had turned away from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. ~ NET

 At that very moment the Spirit of God left Saul and in its place a black mood sent by God settled on him. He was terrified. ~ The Message

 But the Ruach of Hashem departed from Sha’ul, and a ruach ra’ah from Hashem terrified and overwhelmed him [Sha’ul]. ~ Orthodox Jewish Bible

They say "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away."

 I'm not going to lie. I've never liked that phrase. It doesn't seem to me to describe a God whose very essence is to love and to give life.

 And yet, when something so dark in our life is upon us, that's how it feels, isn't it?

 It feels as if God has completely left our life.

 As if God has taken God's Spirit away.

 Saul was someone who didn't listen to God a lot of the time. He was also someone who didn't always give credit where credit was due.

 And when God seemed to have given up on him, then Saul also gave up on himself.

 To be tormented, terrified, or overwhelmed can feel like death, can't it?

 It can feel as if life has no purpose.

 And since we have a God who is all about life, feeling cut off from God would literally be the essence of death.

 Of hell even.

 And that's scary. It can make us want to give up.

 God's Spirit is meant to enliven. But sometimes we shut it out. We ignore it. We decide that we live by our own rules or our own energy.

 Forgetting that all of that comes from God.

 The life comes from God, not us.

 And to live as if that isn't the case, is just like giving that Spirit away.
Prayer: You are the source of all life, God. Remind me when I think I can live by my own devices. Amen

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