“And I have filled him (Bezalel) with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.” Exodus 31:3-5

We often divide life into the ordinary and the spiritual. Work and Worship. Sunday and Monday. Mission trip and Vacation.

Christians read daily devotions believing the Holy Spirit is powerful among the apostles and prophets. They are convinced Moses and Mary had dramatic interventions that would be impossible to encounter today. In Exodus, the Holy Spirit did something amazing with Bezalel. The Spirit not only made him more knowledgeable, but fills him with wisdom, skill and craftsmanship for the work He has for him to do. Bezalel’s work becomes a divine activity. The tabernacle is built through human hands empowered by God’s presence. Woodwork and stonecutting find celestial guidance. 

Perhaps, as earnest believers, we pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, afraid to imagine God’s activity. What if it looked like Bezalel’s ordainment? Is there an understanding of the power we are invoking when we pray, “Holy Spirit, guide my work today”? 

The prayer is not magic, nor does it eliminate effort, learning, mistakes, or ordinary human processes; rather, it acknowledges every good gift, every insight, and every moment of wisdom is from God. The Spirit works through ordinary conversations, craftsmanship, work, and perseverance. Maybe we become so afraid of imagining God’s activity that we stop expecting it altogether.

C.S. Lewis observed the miracle is not that God occasionally enters the world but continually sustains it. Wood you kindly believe God is sustaining you today? 

Prayer: 

Holy Spirit, guide my work today. Train my eyes to recognize your presence in ordinary faithfulness of life, knowing the simplest duty becomes a vessel of grace. Amen