Today I am beginning a series of posts about the various names and titles of God found in Scripture. I hope these will lead you to fresh revelations about who God is and how deep his love for you is.
The Hebrew word for “spirit” is ruach (ru-ACH), which can be translated as “wind,” “breath,” or “mind.” It is closely associated with “life” since there is no life without “breath.” Genesis 1:2 says, The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The Spirit [Ruach] of God was hovering over the water. The scene is evocative, as though God hovers over the young world like an eagle hovering over its chicks (Deuteronomy 32:11).
The Spirit offers wisdom, ability, guidance, power, and revelation. So powerful is the breath of the Spirit that it can even bring the dead to life. Though Ruach when used in connection with God in the Hebrew Scriptures may simply refer to his power or his will, more often it signifies that God is present by his Spirit. “Holy Spirit” (Ruach Qedosh) “God’s Spirit” (Ruach El), “the Lord’s Spirit” (Ruach Yahweh), and “the Spirit of God” (Ruach Elohim)—all are phrases found in the Hebrew Scriptures.
The word ruach can also describe angelic beings or even the “spirit” of a human being.
In the New Testament the Greek word pneuma refers to that which gives life to the body, to the human spirit, to good and evil spirits, and to the Holy Spirit. The Greek word Parakletos is also used and is translated as “counselor,” “advocate,” or “helper.”
The New Testament speaks of the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the body of Christ so that together we can do the will of God on earth. The Holy Spirit is the One with the power to re-create the life of God within us.
Praying to Ruach
I couldn’t sleep. The lighted numbers on my alarm clock glared at me from across the room. Anxious thoughts kept racing through my brain. My eleven-year-old was attending an educational program in another city, staying four nights in the home of friends and three nights at home. I was anxious to raise the money to bring this program for learning disabled children to my city so my daughter could move home again. But I felt alone and confused about how to proceed.
By 5 am, I gave up and tumbled out of bed. After the requisite cup of coffee, I began praying, asking God to help me figure out what to do about my daughter’s situation. Instead of giving me ideas, I had the subtle impression he was saying something—I am going to fight for you. I hoped it was God’s voice and not wishful thinking.
Later that day, another mother called. I had invited her and a few others parents to a meeting in Toronto to learn more about the educational program I hoped to establish in Grand Rapids. Until then, no one had replied. Guess what! An influential administrator in her school system wanted to make the trip to Toronto. This was the breakthrough I had prayed for—only a first step, but at least a door was opening.
After I hung up, the words I had heard that morning came back to me—I will fight for you. Alone in my office, I gave a little victory shout.
Then I turned back to my writing. Before the phone call, I had been editing a piece I had written a few weeks earlier, and my own words bounced back to me:
Though we are weak and limited, we are not defenseless because we belong to a God of unimaginable power. And though it may seem that he is sleeping through our time of need, he is still Yahweh Tsebaoth, the Lord of Armies, able to do far more than we think or imagine.
And then came the prayer I had written:
Yahweh Tsebaoth, Lord of Armies, please calm my fear and anxiety. You know everything that is going on in my life right now…. Help me to rest in the knowledge that you are with me.
I tell the story, not because it is finished and certainly not because it is extraordinary, but because it illustrates one way the Holy Spirit commonly works in our lives—speaking a word to guide and encourage.
Like me, you may be anxious about some perplexing problem. Ask God to open your heart to his Spirit, to fill you with his gifts and direct you with his wisdom.
