God the Holy Spirit, Mentor's Guide, MG14

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G O D T H E H O L Y S P I R I T

Attending to the Prophetic Word

Devotion

Read 2 Peter 1.16-21 . The Apostle Peter was firmly convinced that what he had seen and heard on the Mount of Transfiguration was the sure fulfillment of the prophetic testimony about Christ found in the Old Testament Scriptures. For Peter, the words of the Hebrew Scriptures are words that come directly from the Spirit of God himself. He says that the prophets who wrote the Scriptures were “carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (The word translated “carried along” is the same Greek word use in Acts 27.17 to describe a ship that is being driven forward by the wind in its sails). In Peter’s understanding, the Holy Spirit carried the prophets along as surely as wind carries a ship. The ancient Christian theologian, Athenagoras, captured the same idea when he wrote that “. . . [Prophets] spoke the things with which they were inspired. The Spirit operated through them just as a flute player breathes into a flute.” As those who have placed our faith in Christ, we firmly believe that the Holy Spirit did, indeed, speak through the prophets. We believe that in the Scriptures we have found a form of truth that did not have its origins in human ideas but instead came from the mind of God himself. The prophetic word is, as Peter says, “a lamp shining in a dark place” and we are to give our full attention to it. We truly believe that every part of the study of theology that we are engaged in should be nothing more than an attempt to give our full attention to the Word of God that has been breathed out by his Spirit. As we come to our lesson, let’s begin by asking God the Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds so that we not only hear, but that we may also fully understand the truths of God’s prophetic word. We pray along with the Psalmist, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Ps. 119.18). After reciting and/or singing the Nicene Creed (located in the Appendix), pray the following prayer: Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Nicene Creed and Prayer

~ The Book of Common Prayer . New York, NY: The Church Hymnal Corporation, 1979. p. 355.