Close your eyes. (Well, maybe at the end of this paragraph if you’re reading with your eyes.) Take a deep breath. Breathe out very, very slowly. What does your mind think about? Sit there with your eyes closed for half a minute or so, what are you thinking about? Okay, try that now. I’ll still be here.
If your thoughts are food, how healthy is your diet? Is it good for you? Is it introducing toxins into your bloodstream and your muscles? Is it sweet? Is it sour? Is it bitter? Is it simply way too much, or is it exactly the amount you need? Your mind will feast on what you consume, and what you consume molds who you think you are. It molds what you become, what you limit yourself to, and what you can achieve. Did you realize that your thoughts can have that much power?
I was drawn to this translation from the Jubilee Bible in Isaiah 26:2–4: Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in JAH, the Lord is the strength of the ages.
I love to sit and sip, like it’s a glass of fine merlot, this verse which contains the name of JAH, which is short for YHWH, or Yahweh, as used by the Israelites. As my mind abides in the space where only God can fill, it is there that I find this perfect peace that the Bible talks about. Breathe in and out slowly and listening to instrumental music in the background, the sounds of nature if you’re outside, or simply the quiet murmur of your kids if you’ve had to find refuge in your bathroom or a closet (this too will pass, I promise, and you will actually miss it… sort of). It is in this intimate space you can ask Jesus to take captive your thoughts and center in on his perfect peace.
Whisper the name Yahweh, like it’s a summer breeze, until there is a stirring in your inner core. Then breathe slowly, thinking of how you can trust that God is good, that God is trustworthy, and that God has shown you blessings throughout your life.
Yahweh.
Yahweh..
Yahweh…
Feel the stirring of your spirit? That’s Holy Spirit within you, and it’s a gift that you can’t beg for at Christmastime, that you can’t save up all the money in the world to buy, and that you can’t put under your mattress and hope that it’s there when you need it. (Who knows, maybe it will still be there if you do that, but I’m not sure that would be the wisest choice, and it certainly wouldn’t grow stronger if you did that.) The power of the Holy Spirit grows within you as you spend time in the truth of God’s Word, in communion with Christ in prayer, in fellowship encouraging other believers, in being deliberate about every action, every decision, and every thought… Holy Spirit fire burns brighter and brighter as you give yourself over to it.
Who are you? If the answer changes based on your circumstances, based on what others say about you or how good you are at a particular thing at a certain time, then you need to rethink that question. Who defines who you are? Who SHOULD define who you are? If an artist tossed an object on a potter’s wheel, don’t you think the most accurate definition of what that object is to become should be named by its creator? Sure, anyone can use that object for whatever they want to, but can they truly change what it IS?
You are masterfully created in God’s image, and nothing and no one can ever change that. Our minds are powerful, though, and what we think about can change our perceptions so much that the truth can become clouded. Focus your mind on being one with your creator. Put yourself back onto that potter’s wheel in your mind and watch how delicately and deliberately you were formed.
So try this again, inviting Holy Spirit in with each breath, whispering YAHWEH… YAHWEH… YAHWEH… as his perfect peace washes over you. At the end of this paragraph, close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Breathe out very, very slowly. Sit there with your eyes closed, and be transported to a buffet table with a spread of good, healthy truths that will nourish your soul, truths that infiltrate every ounce of your being and impact even your very DNA to define your identity. If the potters wheel that formed you is the strength of the ages, then your identity will be as solid as a diamond, never to be manipulated, never to be crushed, and never to be melted into conforming into someone else’s mold.
(Originally published by Steph on Medium.com, May 25, 2023)