In Ezra 1:1 and 5, at the time of God’s recovery of His people back to Jerusalem, God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, and stirred up the people in their spirit. This again shows that God’s dealing with us is through the spirit. It does not say that God stirred up the heart of the king of Persia, because the recovery was altogether God’s dealing, and this dealing was absolutely in the spirit. On the one hand, God stirred up the king’s spirit. On the other hand, God stirred up the captives’ spirit. Then something could be worked out for God’s recovery.
Haggai 1:14 refers to the same thing. God stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the spirit of Joshua, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people for the completion of the building. Ezra 1 tells us about the beginning of the recovery, but Haggai tells us about the continuation of the recovery. The beginning and the continuation of the recovery were altogether matters in the spirit.
Then how about today’s recovery? Surely it could never be something outside of our spirit. It must be something absolutely in our spirit. If God is going to recover His church in so many localities, surely you and I must have our spirit stirred up by God.
Jeremiah 51:11 says also that the Lord “stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His purpose is against Babylon, to destroy her.” This is the vengeance of the Lord, even the vengeance for His temple. Babylon destroyed God’s temple. Now God stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes to destroy Babylon. That was a kind of vengeance God rendered upon Babylon, the vengeance of His temple. Though we are not the kings of the Medes, God still has to stir up our spirit for the destruction of Babylon and for the vengeance of His temple. All of this is in the spirit.
Job 6:4 tells us that to Job’s realization what he suffered was not just something outward but something inward in his spirit. According to our spiritual experiences, Job 6:4 is rather deep. Job says, “The arrows of the Almighty are in me, / The poison of which my spirit drinks up.” This verse shows that although all the sufferings which happened to Job were outward, he realized that God was dealing with him, not just outwardly but inwardly. God’s dealing with him was not just something outward in his surroundings but something inward, deep in his spirit.
Job 10:12 says, “You have granted me life and lovingkindness.” This means that God had granted Job to live and to enjoy so many good things. In addition, “Your visitation has preserved my spirit” (v. 12). Have you ever realized God’s visitation? Job 15:13 says, “You turn your spirit against God.” All these verses show us that the relationship, the fellowship, between us and God is absolutely a matter in our spirit.
Psalm 31:5 says, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit.” Remember that this is a word spoken in the Old Testament by an Old Testament saint. Have you, as a New Testament saint, ever said something like “I commit my spirit into Your hand”? Mostly we say that we commit our heart into God’s hand. Psalm 32:2 says, “Blessed is the man...in whose spirit there is no deceit.” Again, all this portrays clearly that the fellowship and the relationship between us and God is absolutely in our spirit.
In Psalm 34:18 there is a contrite spirit, and in Psalm 51:10, a “steadfast spirit.” In Psalm 51:12 there is a “willing spirit.” Psalm 51 is a prayer of David. In verse 10 he says, “Renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Then in verse 12 he says, “Restore to me the gladness of Your salvation, / And sustain me with a willing spirit.” Then in verse 17 is a “broken spirit.” Psalm 51 shows us a contrite spirit, a steadfast spirit, a willing spirit, and a broken spirit.
Psalm 77:3 says, “I complain, and my spirit faints.” Verse 6 says, “I remember my song in the night; / I muse with my own heart, and my spirit carefully searches.” The psalmist mused with his own heart, but his spirit carefully searched in the presence of God.
Psalm 78:8 says that the spirit of the children of Israel was not faithful to God. We need a faithful spirit to God. We do not only need to make up our mind or have a strong will, but we need to have a faithful spirit to God.
(Our Human Spirit, Chapter 3, by Witness Lee)