A “troubled spirit”

If this phrase brings back memories of some movie you have seen in which the spirit of someone who had died continued to wander about on earth in a state of torment, you will be pleasantly surprised to know that is not what this article is about! There are several passages in the Bible that refer to someone’s spirit being troubled and as we look at them we will discover another powerful truth about the workings of God.

The first passage is Genesis 41:8. In this verse Pharaoh, king of Egypt, awakens after having a powerful dream in which God revealed to him the future. The verse says,

“In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams…”

In an almost identical passage found in Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon had a dream in which God also revealed to him the future:

“Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. Then the king gave orders to call in the magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers…”

Notice that, upon having their dreams, the reaction of each of these kings was described the same way: “His spirit was troubled.” The word translated “troubled” literally means, “to move or beat persistently; to agitate.” As a result of their dreams, these kings’ spirits were agitated, moved, restless, uneasy, and stirred to action. Notice that they both immediately sent for their wise men in an attempt to have their dreams interpreted. This same word is used to describe the way the Holy Spirit “moved” Samson at the beginning of his ministry (Judges 13:25)

A number of other passages say that the Lord “Stirred up the spirit” of various kings in order to get them to do what He wanted done. (1 Ch. 5:26, 2 Ch. 21:16, 36:22, Ezra 1:1) The word translated “stirred” in these passages literally means, “to awaken.” It is a different one that the word translated “troubled” in the verses above, but the connection between them is easy to see in the story of Nebuchadnezzar. As a result of God troubling his spirit, he was agitated into a state of wakefulness, and “his sleep left him.”

Often when God wants to move us to do something, he begins by somehow “troubling” our spirits. This troubling sensation can range anywhere from subtle to intense, but it is a very real inward pressure. Like being stirred out of physical sleep, the effect of this stirring is not always immediate. But as God continues to trouble our spirits, eventually we begin to respond.

Our first response to this “troubling” in our spirit is to be agitated into a state of spiritual wakefulness. Like a pesky pain that won’t go away and won’t let us sleep, this troubling just persists until eventually we are alert. But mere wakefulness is usually not enough to make this troubling in our spirits stop. Usually when God troubles our spirit it is because He has something he wants us to do. It may be to pray for someone, or to speak a word to someone or perhaps to prepare for something God is warning us about. Whatever it is this troubling and stirring will continue until we finally respond in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit within us.

Next time you have a troubled spirit, recognize it as God’s leading, and follow Him!