Understanding the Names of God: Ruach Elohim

NOTE: My third book in the Names of God devotional study series (Names of God: Growing Strong) will release on July 7 and is available for pre-order now. Understanding the seven names of God featured in this book has helped me better understand God’s ability to strengthen me amid difficulties. I want to share a few nuggets with you in my blogs between now and launch day, so here’s the third in a series about God’s names.

In case you missed the first two, here are the links:

Yahweh Tsuri:

Understanding the Names of God: Yahweh Tsuri

Adonai:

Understanding the Names of God: Adonai

Now let’s learn more about Ruach Elohim…

In one of my darkest seasons, I asked God a question: Where are You in this mess?

Maybe you’ve asked that too. Perhaps your world feels uncertain right now due to strained relationships, health concerns, financial pressure, grief, anxiety, or the burden of carrying too much for too long. If so, you’ll find encouragement in the name Ruach Elohim which means “Spirit of God.”

What is the truth revealed in the name Ruach Elohim?

The opening pages of Scripture introduce us to the Spirit of God when the world was “formless and empty,” covered in darkness. (Genesis 1:2) He hovered over the waters, preparing to bring beauty from disorder and life from emptiness.

For years, I read the creation story without giving this verse much thought as to its present-day application. But studying the name Ruach Elohim has helped me grasp its life-changing truth: God does not retreat from our chaos. He hovers over it. He remains present in it, and He brings calm to it. 

Our circumstances might feel out of control, but we can trust Ruach Elohim to bring order.

Our emotions might tell us that we’re alone in this mess, but we can know with confidence that God’s Spirit is with us.

Our situation might appear bleak, but we can rest assured that the Spirit is working in His way and His time to bring beauty from the void.

Stop for a moment and pause to ponder this reality. How does it strengthen your resolve to hang onto hope when it seems all hope is gone?

Ruach Elohim and the inexplicable

Ruach Elohim brings order from chaos and beauty from nothingness, but He does so much more, and He is also very personal. Perhaps you, like me, have experienced His whispers or nudges to speak a word of encouragement to a specific person. Maybe He has awakened you in the night with a burden to pray for someone.

Perhaps He prompted you to hesitate for a split second before entering an intersection even though you had the green light to go, and that momentary hesitation saved your life when another vehicle ran the red. I speak from experience on that one.

Once, while living on the sailboat, I felt compelled to take my laundry to the marina laundromat immediately. I’d planned to do the wash later in the day, but the nudge to do it “right now” was too strong to ignore.

I threw our clothes into the hamper and began the block-long walk. On my way, I passed a parked semi-trailer. I tried to ignore the driver when he called to me, but the Spirit prompted me to stop.

The stranger asked a couple of questions about the marina, and then, quite unexpectedly, asked me if I believed in God. One thing led to another, and I was able to explain the Gospel to this man who was clearly on a spiritual quest and wanted answers. The encounter lasted maybe five minutes.

Only God’s Spirit could have orchestrated such a meeting. The conversation left me in awe at His ability to do something so inexplicable. But then again—He is God’s personal presence dwelling in us and working through us, so why should we be surprised when the inexplicable happens? No doubt you have an inexplicable story of your own. Please feel free to share it in the comments section, okay?

Ruach Elohim meets us where we are

One of the most encouraging truths about Ruach Elohim is that He meets us exactly where we are. He doesn’t wait for us to “get it together” first. He comes near in the middle of our mess, our questions, and our conflicts.

Sometimes His work is dramatic and unmistakable. Other times it’s quiet and deeply personal. He brings a familiar Bible verse alive in a new way. He ministers to us through a worship song played on the local Christian radio station at the exact moment we need those exact lyrics to reset our anxious thoughts. He calms our fearful thoughts with assurances that everything will be okay.

God’s Spirit does these things for us

Ruach Elohim is our breath. We rely on Him for everything, and He never fails us. We can trust Him not to make life easy but to make us strong amid the challenges this life brings. We can also trust Him to do the following things for us:

• He comforts us 
  Jesus called the Holy Spirit our Helper and Comforter.
  “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.” (John 14:16)

• He guides us 
  When confusion clouds our thinking, the Spirit gives wisdom and direction.
  “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13)
  
• He strengthens us 
  God never expected us to carry life’s burdens alone.
  “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” (Romans 8:26)
  
• He prays for us 
  Have you ever been so overwhelmed you didn’t know how to pray? The Spirit intercedes for us.
  “The Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” (Romans 8:26)
  
• He equips us 
  The Spirit equips ordinary people for extraordinary assignments.
  “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise…” (Exodus 31:3)
  
• He empowers us 
  The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead brings spiritual renewal to us today.
  “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.” (Romans 8:11)
  
• He changes us
  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness—we demonstrate these qualities as the Spirit works within us.
  “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives…” (Galatians 5:22–23)

Give Ruach Elohim full control

God’s Spirit does a host of things on our behalf, but author Francis Chan reminds us, “He [God’s Spirit] desires to do more than ‘help out’ a bit. He wants to completely transform us. He wants to take a timid heart and set it ablaze with strength and courage, so much so that people know something supernatural has taken place—life change just as miraculous as fire coming down from heaven.”

Ruach Elohim did this with the disciples. After Jesus’s death, they cowered in fear behind a locked door. But after Jesus’s departure, they lived from the truth of His indwelling Spirit and they became bold ambassadors of the Gospel.

He [God’s Spirit] desires to do more than ‘help out’ a bit. He wants to completely transform us. He wants to take a timid heart and set it ablaze with strength and courage, so much so that people know something supernatural has taken place—life change just as miraculous as fire coming down from heaven.

Francis Chan — The Forgotten God

The Spirit of God is a person whom we can trust. When we allow Him to fill and control us, He will change us as He did the disciples. He will take our timid hearts and make them brave. He will strengthen us and give us courage. And boy oh boy, we could all use that in these crazy days.

BTW — I highly recommend these two books about the Holy Spirit:

Margaret Feinberg’s book, The God You Need to Know: Experience the Holy Spirit’s Power and Presence Today
Francis Chan’s book, The Forgotten God