07/14/2026
You believe in God the Father, and have accepted His Son Jesus Christ as your Redeemer, and Savior, but have you come to the realization that there is another who now dwells within you? Deep inside, you have become the abode of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps you haven’t acknowledged His presence... but He is there and even though He often helps you secretly, He wants to know you in an amazing way.
“"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
John 14:15-18 ESV
If you search for books by the name “The Benefactor” you will discover that there are many. The idea, and practice, of looking after someone without them being aware of it is an age-old one, and has been written about as subplots in classics, as well as in standalone novels and various other books. The idea of our helping someone without them becoming aware of our doing so, or being helped ourselves in this way by an unknown benefactor, is exciting on the surface, and profoundly moving and fulfilling in its deepest recesses. There is something remarkable that happens when we help someone without any expectation of a reward in return. This is the same idea that is behind praying in secret, and it is also the root of the Holy Spirit who works in us.
“"Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Matthew 6:2-4 ESV
Even as we are entertaining the thought of helping others in unawares, our Father has been helping us, and indeed His Holy Spirit is at work within us to that end. Before I first came to know Jesus Christ I felt the draw of Him, and afterwards I could see the hand of God more clearly as He moved in my life. Suddenly I was taken back a few steps and shown that there was more to my life than chance threads, and mysterious occurrences... there was a plan, and nowhere was it made more evident than in the book of Jeremiah:
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:11-13 ESV
But knowing there was a plan and accepting its occurrences in my life as being spiritually bold movements of God was just like the superficial swirling of a much deeper current. It was like seeing the small whirlpool left behind once a paddle has been taken from the water and a canoe moves forward.... but that swirl is evidence that the paddle had been there, and that the one who wields it was present. It is not until we choose to look up and see the paddle in the hands of God that we realize how that glistening swirl came to be.
The Holy Spirit begins in us like an unknown companion dipping his paddle into the water and propelling us forward. He is mysterious and silent like a secret benefactor, but if we come to see the evidence of Him, and begin to seek Him, then at that moment He will reveal Himself to us. In that moment of discovery, we will see the paddle dipping into the water, and perhaps will be taken back a few more strokes so that we can more fully see the glistening bubbles which are the evidence of his past presence in our lives, and the canoe of our faith.
Until we seek God and Jesus, and come to know Them, the Holy Spirit remains within us as a secret benefactor that helps us through life, and calls us to God, and Jesus. He is there, but remains unknown to us... He is mysterious and exciting, yet stands off in the distance, or sits far forward in our canoe of faith. For many, this is the extent of His involvement in their lives... He remains hidden, and continues to watch secretly over them. Perhaps to these Christians the excitement of the unknown is like a wrapped gift from a secret admirer. Maybe they fear that if they open it that the excitement will be gone, or just maybe they are afraid that they will be disappointed in the relationship, and its commitment. Neither of these scenarios could be further from the truth... knowing the Holy Spirit is like the most beautiful fireworks display we have ever seen, one that explodes into grandeur, and never fades, but hangs gloriously in the sky forever; thrilling us endlessly as if it had just exploded to light the night sky. We join with Jesus there in the expanse that is God.
So He is there, and He secretly moves within our lives, and faith, to bring the will of God to light in our lives, but there is more, and to experience the more, we must know Jesus personally, obey His commandments, and seek the Holy Spirit in prayer... even as the disciples did while they waited for the Comforter’s arrival.
“All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”
Acts 1:14 ESV
Are you happy having a secret benefactor who works the will of God in your life, or do you want to know Him, and meet Him face to face? Do you want to be surprised when He brings our Father’s gifts to us, or is your desire to bring Him into your prayer closet and pray jointly with Him for them? Are you like Thomas who wasn’t in the upper room when the Spirit fell, or are you one of those who received the fullness of the Holy Spirit like tongues of fire? The choice is yours, but never doubt that He is already there within you.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit that resides within me, and the understanding of you that He brings me. Thank you Holy Father as he draws me to you, and to Jesus Christ, and for the comfort He gives me now. With Him I am like a child wrapped in a warm blanket; I feel the warmth, and know the love that placed me upon it, and who wrapped it tightly around me. I am swaddled within the Spirit, and rest peacefully in your arms. Thank you for the relationship I now have with you because of this gift; the Spirit quickens me, and gives me excitement as I come with Him in prayer before you, and brings me untold joy as I praise you in the manner that He has taught me. Praised be your name Holy Father, and blessed am I in your Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that moves unceasingly within me. Whether in secret, or in full relationship, your Spirit is a gift beyond all measure, and brings me closer to you every day. Part the water with the blade of your paddle, and let it arouse me, and give me cause to look up from the evidence of its swirl in my life, and to see you in all of your glory. Holy, Holy, Holy, you are my God of spiritual gifts; you are the one who calls to me through the Holy Spirit, and thrills me in Jesus to the limits of my ability to withstand you without growing suddenly faint. You are He whose Son has redeemed me, and in whom I dwell. Praised be your name always, and throughout eternity.
“these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.”
1 Corinthians 2:10-12 ESV
And whether in words or groans we are inspired by the Holy Spirit and pray in the name of Jesus.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
Rich Forbes