Take a good look at my servant. I’m backing him to the hilt. He’s the one I chose, and I couldn’t be more pleased with him. I’ve bathed him with my Spirit, my life. He’ll set everything right among the nations. (MSG)

Yesterday was special. Not because anything extraordinary happened, but because I realized something that has slowly been unfolding in my heart for a long time now. I finally realized that I wasn't afraid of the Holy Spirit anymore.  

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I remember a number of years ago, it occurred to me that the Holy Spirit was strangely absent from my thoughts of God. Sure, I would pray to the Father and to Jesus, but I realized I didn't really know the Spirit at all. Yes, I believed he was with me, but it was like we were riding the same bus without me acknowledging his presence.  

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Up to that moment, it had been more like I was simply unaware he was someone worth talking to and spending time with on this metaphorical bus. But from that moment on, once I realized the lack, it became more and more like I was intentionally averting my gaze. I knew I should want to know him, shouldn't I? I mean, Jesus says, "it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you" (John 16:7). But here's the simple truth: I was scared of him.

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But the Lord is gentle with us, and I remember Jesus whispering to me on day, I'd love to introduce you to him. And because I did trust Jesus, I began to examine what he seemed to think about the Spirit as recorded in Scripture. What I discovered was this: Jesus is so jazzed on the Holy Spirit. When he brings him up, particularly in John 14-16, you can almost hear the excitement in his voice. He keeps coming back to the Spirit, in fact, as he talks. So many times, when he says something difficult or scary to his disciples about what's coming, he circles back to but when the Spirit comes, as though it's a balm to the fear.

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And if Jesus was that excited about the Spirit, I began to wonder why I wasn't. What I realized was this: I didn't know the Spirit, and therefore I didn't trust him.  

Maybe you've felt this tension before too. So many of us are trained on God and understanding the Father relationship comes pretty easily. And Jesus - he's kinda the whole deal, and the human thing helps us relate to him too. But the Spirit - I think this is the harder leap for many. And friend, that's okay! Just as it takes time to get to know a new friend, it may take a while to get to know the Spirit too. Don't let shame or guilt trick you into believing that journey isn't a beautiful part of surrendering to God in new and deeper ways.

Our verse today is from Isaiah, and in it God is speaking about his "servant," whom we know today is Jesus. Just as we can see Jesus bringing the hype about the Spirit in John, so we see God hyping up both Jesus and then the Spirit in this verse. It's like he can't wait until you see this plan unfold: "Take a good look at my servant. I’m backing him to the hilt. He’s the one I chose, and I couldn’t be more pleased with him. I’ve bathed him with my Spirit, my life. He’ll set everything right among the nations" (Isa. 42:1).  

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Does your heart toward the Spirit reflect this kind of joy and confidence? Here's God's view in this passage and Jesus' in John 16:7: When the Spirit comes to you, it'll all be okay. You know that person who, when they come into the room, you just know things are going to be all right? According to God, that's the Spirit in our lives and world.  

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And yesterday, as I realized that, finally, I wasn't afraid anymore of his presence and closeness, that I wasn't waiting for the other shoe to drop, afraid he'd ask me to do something awkward or scary, I think I felt that. And it was as though I was finally able to smile at my bus-mate, thankful for his presence and the slow journey of getting to know him better each day.  

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I don't know where you're at on this journey yourself. Maybe you've been friends with the Holy Spirit for a long time; ask him what it might look like to get to know him even better! And if you're still strangers on the bus or averting your gaze, I encourage you to ask Jesus to introduce you to the Spirit in a new and deeper way today, maybe even, for the first time.

Holy Spirit, thank you for your patience and goodness to gently lead us closer to you each day. I pray for my friend reading right now. God, you know where they are at. Would you meet them right there and guide them closer to your Spirit today! In Jesus' name, amen.