My wife LuAnn has been raising chickens for over 20 years. We are very familiar with a hen hovering over her eggs, a state known as being broody.
When a chicken becomes “broody,” her natural inclination is to sit on eggs to incubate them until they hatch. She will exhibit changes in behavior, such as staying in the nesting box, fluffing up her feathers, clucking softly, and being defensive if disturbed. This behavior is driven by a hormonal change that prepares her for motherhood. Interestingly, “broody” can mean to hover over something. When applied to birds, especially hens, it specifically refers to the act of sitting on eggs to incubate them.
Many other animals brood or incubate their eggs. Various bird species, including ducks, geese, swans, pigeons, and raptors like eagles and hawks, sit on their eggs to keep them warm until they hatch. Some reptiles, like pythons, brood their eggs by coiling around them to regulate temperature. Crocodiles and alligators also exhibit brooding behavior by guarding their nests and sometimes even moving their young to the water once they hatch. Certain amphibians, like the Surinam toad and some species of frogs, exhibit unique brooding behaviors. For example, the male Darwin’s frog carries the eggs in his vocal sac until they hatch. Some fish species, like certain cichlids, brood their eggs. Mouth brooding is a common practice among these fish, where the parent carries the eggs and sometimes even the young in their mouth for protection. And finally, insects, like certain species of beetles and wasps, exhibit brooding behavior by protecting their eggs and larvae.
Now, what does all this have to do with the Holy Spirit? During creation, the Spirit was hovering or brooding (also known as incubating) the plan of God. When you’re born again, the Trinity— God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—comes to live inside you. Right now, the Holy Spirit is inside you, incubating the plan of God for your life.
Just like the chickens, it’s important that we learn to be still and let Him incubate our lives. In the scripture “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10), “be still” means to cease striving, to quiet your mind, and to let go of your anxieties and efforts to control everything. It is an invitation to pause, reflect, and recognize God’s sovereignty and presence.
This stillness allows us to trust in God’s power and plan, finding peace and reassurance in His guidance and care. Being still also includes the hovering of the Holy Spirit over the seed that is inside of us. That seed is His plan for your life. The Lord is not hiding His plan from us. As a matter of fact, He yearns for it to be hatched. The reason I use the example of animals incubating is to illustrate the universal principle that is evident in creation, nature, and our lives with the Holy Spirit.
I encourage you to recognize the Holy Spirit hovering over you endlessly. Jesus told us that when He left this earth, He would send the Holy Spirit to replace Him. Since He replaced Jesus, the Holy Spirit has several roles and functions that pertain to us today. In the Gospel of John, Jesus mentions that the Holy Spirit would be our Comforter and Advocate, helping and guiding us in everyday life (John 14:16-17, 26). He would be our Teacher and Reminder, teaching us everything we need to know about God and ourselves. Who we are, and who we’re not. Who He is, and who He’s not. (John 14:26). We are here to learn and grow.
And finally, He is our Witness to Jesus, testifying about Him (John 15:26).
Notice here that the Holy Spirit is our witness. He will do the witnessing. Anyone in our presence is in the presence of God. We don’t have to say a word. All we have to do is show up, and the fruit of the Spirit is present.
This witnessing involves several aspects. The Holy Spirit will confirm through us that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah, and Savior of the world. Christianity is not learning to speak in what I call “Christianese”. It is not a language, it’s a lifestyle and that lifestyle should reflect the presence of God in your life. Just be yourself. If we truly have what we say we have, it should radiate through us and people should be asking us what makes us so different. The Holy Spirit will always lead us to walk in the fruit of the Spirit, which begins with love. What separates us from the world is the love of God, and the Holy Spirit hovering over us, teaching us to walk in His love. Without love, we have nothing to give to anyone around us. Jesus came to share the love of God, and the Holy Spirit works in us to radiate that love to the world.
The Holy Spirit also helps us understand and internalize the truths of the Gospel, making the teachings of Jesus clear and compelling. He empowers us to live out our faith, providing the courage, strength, and guidance needed to follow Jesus. The Holy Spirit convicts those around us of their sin and their need for salvation through Jesus Christ. We don’t have to say a word because His presence in us convicts. Finally, the Holy Spirit fosters unity within our community of believers through love and mutual edification. In other words, He does it all.
By bearing witness, the Holy Spirit ensures that the message of Jesus remains alive and active in our hearts and minds, guiding us in our spiritual journey and empowering us to be effective witnesses.
