In the Press: Holy Hover

Our pastor taught us one day about the hovering of the Holy Spirit. This is one of the coolest pictures of God I have ever seen. It’s illustrated in the very first chapter of the Bible:

The earth was formless and void [a waste and emptiness], and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving upon [hovering over] the surface of the waters (Genesis 1:2).

Pastor Curt explained that the Presence of God, by His Spirit, hovers over things to prepare them for the creative works of God. This word "hover" has the meaning of "brooding," which means to hover over or carefully watch over something so as to "hatch" or produce offspring.

God’s Spirit was hovering over the face of waste and emptiness – a chaotic mess – so as to produce or create something. And He did it:

Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light (Genesis 1:3).

By His word, He created light. This whole picture is a beautiful concept. Where it really gets good is when it happens in my life. God’s power happens, and it makes a difference. It can be the difference between life and death.

A sure way to build your faith, or to be more Spirit-controlled, to grow more fruit of the Spirit in your life, to become stronger in every area of your walk with God, is to put yourself under the hovering of the Holy Spirit. This should be happening in the prayer closet of every believer, every day.

Do you have an area or a circumstance in your life that smacks of chaos, formlessness, void, emptiness, or waste? You need the brooding, the hovering of the Holy Spirit, because He is willing and waiting to speak His creative Word into your life.

Jesus said, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.' By this he meant the Spirit..." (John 7:37-39a).

See what 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 says:

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him – but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

I would like to challenge you to try an experiment in prayer. Shut yourself in your "prayer closet" for 30 minutes, and set yourself under the hovering, brooding presence of the Spirit of God. Just ask Him, "Lord, hover over me, and do your work in me. You alone know exactly what I need. Thank you." Then fix your eyes on Jesus and allow him to move over your life by His Spirit. Try it. You may not get a tangible result right away, but if you give God room to work, He will be able to do amazing things in your life and in every situation you find yourself in.

Notice what Jesus said to the Pharisees, who were challenging him: