March 27

We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. — 1 Cor 2:12 BSB

At times, thick clouds of darkness settle over our souls, hiding everything from view—our signs and tokens buried in a mist. It’s like a dense sea fog that arises from the deep, concealing everything from sight. The ships are still on the sea, but the fog prevents them from being seen. So it is with our souls; at times, everything is clouded, and we cannot see any evidence of God’s work within us. And yet, we “know” them by the Spirit of God, for that is the only way they can be known. We can only see light in God's light, believe through God's faith, and love by God's love. Therefore, we can only know the things freely given to us by God through the revelation of the Spirit.

What we know savingly, experientially, and deeply, we know only through divine teaching. How often our minds are darkened, how low we sink at times—it is only the Son of God who can lift us up. Only by the revelation of His Spirit can we believe that we are His. We know He is God when He shines forth, just as we know the sun is in the sky when it blazes brightly. We know Him through the teaching of the Spirit, but we cannot see Him until our eyes are opened by divine grace. The sun may shine in all its glory, but does it give light to a blind man’s eyes? Does it warm the dead body lying in a coffin? The blind cannot see, the dead cannot hear—only the living, those with life from God, can see and know the Son of God.