I love praying the attributes of God and the many names of Jesus. When I see God as He is, when I think rightly about Him, my faith has substance, and I can keenly express my love to the Lord.
But I also love praying the metaphors of the Holy Spirit. They’re all fluid or uncontainable—wind, fire, water, oil, and a dove.
Praying these metaphors of the Holy Spirit provides picturesque and creative space for entering the manifest presence of God. Various aspects of each metaphor can take on different scriptural emphases.
Consider the metaphor of water, for instance: Jesus specifically describes the inner ministry of the Holy Spirit as “rivers of living water” flowing within us—renewing us and refreshing others through us (John 7:38–39).
He also refers to this gift of God as “a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The Spirit quenches and satisfies our spiritual thirst for God (John 4:14).
The prophet Isaiah further speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit like pouring “water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground”—flowing into our lives, our families, our service, our spheres of influence, and bearing lasting fruit through us (Isa. 44:3). Continuing this metaphor of the Holy Spirit as flowing water, I am reminded of the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—which, among other things, describes the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit alive within us (Gal. 5:22–23).
With these images, I pray this way slowly, meditatively, and with open arms receiving.
Holy Spirit, grant me to know You in Your fullness:
- the ocean of Your love
- the wellspring of Your joy
- the river of Your peace
- the quiet waters of Your patience
- the streams of Your kindness
- the floods of Your goodness
- the waves of Your faithfulness
- the dew of Your gentleness
- the channel of Your self-control.
The pictures continue. Sometimes the Holy Spirit comes to me like the warm spring rain—quiet, gentle, refreshing. Sometimes the Holy Spirit comes to me like a torrential downpour—overwhelming me, drenching me, knocking me down. Sometimes the Holy Spirit comes like the morning dew—daily present, an awareness I need to cultivate, new every morning. I want to know the Holy Spirit of God in every way like flowing water.
For me, stepping into these images of the Holy Spirit is a sure and most delightful entry into the manifest presence of God!
DAVID J. SMITH is senior pastor at Queens Christian Alliance Church—a multi-cultural, multi-language, multi-congregational church in New York City.
