Spirit of the Living God

 By Monk George Lopez

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

This is the original version of this beautiful hymn written by Daniel Iverson after he heard a sermon on the Holy Spirit in Orlando, Florida in 1926. It is a simple yet powerful supplication to the Divine. At CLM we sing a more contemporary version of the third line; melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. I chose to include this original version because I believe that first and foremost, we have to be broken before true change happens.

Being broken open is the first step on the path to ultimately being filled and then used by God. We have to be broken open so all the junk that has been crowding our space, our hearts, and blocking out the light can slowly fall out through those broken cracks. All the pieces that no longer serve. Pieces that may have once even saved us, but are no longer aligned with our true essence, our true divinity. There is excavation, and intentional effort involved in chipping away at what has hardened and seems like it is really a part of us, but it isn’t. And often there is resistance too, a lot of resistance.

“How strange that the nature of life is change, yet the nature of human beings is to resist change. And how ironic that the difficult times we fear might ruin us are the very ones that can break us open and help us blossom into who we were meant to be.” -Elizabeth Lesser.

The only way to prepare for what follows, for each step, for what will lead to us blossoming is the breaking open.

Then there is the melting. The refiner’s fire melts down gold or silver, for purification purposes. Once a metal is in its melted down state, the dross in the metal rises to the top and is then removed from the metal before it cools. The only way to separate what isn’t truly part of the precious metal, ie us, our true essence, is to go through the fire. It’s all part of the perfect plan. Even at this later stage of my life, I continue to discover parts of myself that I was totally unaware of. So sure that they were a part of me, who “I” am. Only to discover they are ideas, beliefs, concepts, limitations that I picked along the way, or were handed to me, in this lifetime or past lifetimes. With attention and intention, I find they are no longer necessary, no longer serve my highest good.

“I have derived more real benefit and permanent strength and growth in grace, and every precious thing, from the furnace of affliction, than I have ever derived from prosperity. Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well, when they cannot be discerned from the top of a mountain. So are many things learned in adversity which the prosperous man dreams not of. Troubles, like files, take away our rust; like furnaces, they consume our dross; like winnowing-fans they drive away the chaff, and we would have but little usefulness, if we had not been made to pass through the furnace. And in all our troubles we have found the character of God a comfort, for the Refiner is never very far from the mouth of the furnace when His gold is in the fire.” -C.H. Spurgeon

God is always with us. He will never leave us or forsake us, especially in the fire.

Then comes the molding. What was broken and refined is now ready to be shaped. God is the potter and we are only the clay. For so long I thought this was my life. I had so many plans, so many things I thought I came here to do. I tell God my plans and He just lovingly laughs, wraps me in his arms and says “Oh my sweet child”. His plans for me are greater than any I could imagine for myself. All that is required is surrender to the potter’s hand. To stop resisting or trying to direct where I think my life is supposed to be going. Allowing ourselves to be gently and lovingly molded and shaped into containers for his love, that will hold the light, the true essence tone of who each of us is. Completely unique, completely divine.

And lastly comes fill me. This is the easy part. It only requires asking. Fill me God with nothing but you. Fill all the hallowed out spaces with truth. Fill me with my essence tone, the truth of who I am. Fill the cracks and crevices, all the hidden away parts with You. Every time another piece is surrendered and removed, fill me with more of You God, Your Holy Spirit. As St. Francis says, with peace, love, pardon, faith, hope, light and joy. Let me be a beacon to the world. Holy Spirit fall afresh on me. Guide me, envelop me, make me to know your presence every minute of every hour of every day. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. When I am full of All That Is, then use me God, according to your will and your divine plan for my life.

Many blessings,
Monk George