Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.

How many times have you prayed those words? The second sentence makes some uncomfortable suggestions as to what the Spirit might do to us. Break me. How am I to be broken for God? And can my self-defence mechanisms, built to protect from pain or from the demands of others be shattered by devastating news? And if so can the Spirit use a tragedy to make me of use to others? Melt me: are there areas in my life where my heart is hardened against someone; where only by receiving the love of the Holy Spirit can my heart be softened? Mould me: as the potter shapes each individual pot, so the Spirit can mould each of us to become a vessel of greater use. And finally, fill me: for without the Holy Spirit I can do nothing.

So, what do I want God to pour into me this year at Pentecost? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, these are the fruits of the Holy Spirit: so what shall I choose? Jesus promised that the Paraclete would come to us – the Advocate, the Comforter; the One who would bring us into all truth and remind us of all that Jesus said. Which of these words best meets my needs? Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me: make what has dried up in me green again? Or falling as a thunderbolt, breaking in to my life dramatically?

History tells us that a group of early Christians were accused of “turning the world upside down”; if I give the Holy Spirit free rein to “Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me”, might it do that to me? I certainly hope so!

 Every blessing,