Roughly translated, this verse is asking that the Lord strengthen us from within by the Spirit! It is something we all need if we are to get through this earthly existence. We need to call on the Holy Spirit to give us strength in our times of doubt, our times of trouble, our times of pain and our times of anger.
That was something I could never quite "get". I understood the "Father" - God, the creator, the ultimate authority. I understood the "Son" - Jesus, the man God sent to be crucified on my behalf. But I never understood where the "Holy Spirit" played into all of this. My image of him is a dove, descending upon the apostles with a ball of fire in a picture I'd seen somewhere.
The Holy Spirt is that part of God that lives in each of us. It is where our strength comes from. "But doesn't our strength come from the Lord?" you ask. The third part of the trinity IS the Holy Spirit - just as Jesus and God are one, the Holy Spirit is also one with them! He is whom God sent to guide us until Christ's return. He didn't leave us alone to cry to the ceiling - he sent us a part of himself that lives in each of us, waiting to be awakened and nurtured. We nurture that Spirit through the Word ~ falling in love with God all over again! His are the arms that lift us up when we are too tired to walk. His are the arms that hold us when we cry. He is God, he is Jesus, he is the Spirit. That spirit dwells in each of us and we have an obligation to release it by loosing the chains we place on it! The chains of "consensual" sin, of greed, lust, immorality, and flagrant disregard God's word. Once awakened, we realize that God IS all we need, all we want, all we desire! The "wants" of the flesh are still there, but the power they have over us seems to take a back seat to the desire to be closer to God! "Oh, Satan, you are in trouble now" is the thought that came to my mind when I realized (truly realized) that God IS a part of me, that Jesus IS a part of me through that power of the Holy Spirit! He gives us the strength to stand up and say NO! It's the ultimate power trip! To know that I have the power of God living within me has to be the best "high" ever! The realization that I was created in God's image is one thing, but to truly understand and know that he lives within me is something that cannot be described - it has to be experienced!
Let yourself find that Spirit of God - let it fill your soul with the power of God - there is nothing you cannot do when led by the Spirit! He will open doors you never knew existed and your walk upon the earth will be changed forever!
