Acts 2:1-4 - Seven weeks had gone by since Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the
Day of Pentecost had now arrived. As the believers met together that day, suddenly there was a sound like the roaring of a
mighty windstorm in the skies above them and it filled the house where they
were meeting. Then, what looked like flames or
tongues of fire appeared and settled on their heads. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began
speaking in languages they didn’t know, for the Holy Spirit gave them this
ability.
The followers had waited 7 weeks. They met with each other to gain strength….pray
for guidance and wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. It came when they
least expected it….. in a dramatic display of sound and visual effects. A mighty roar…like a great windstorm…then
flames settled on their heads that looked to all to be in the shape of a tongue.
Then they all started speaking in
languages they did not know as the Holy Spirit filled them all with the power
of God.
It had a great purpose. Many Jews from many nations had come to the
Festival of Weeks. The apostles only knew Greek and Hebrew…and possibly Aramaic. But as the Holy Spirit filled them they spoke
in the languages of all that had assembled there. Each person in attendance heard the gospel in
the clearest form of his/her language.
For some reason…God allowed me to miss a
connecting flight on my way home from CA…so I have some layover time in
Charlotte NC this morning. As I wait for
a possible standby seat on the earliest flight out…I can hear the roar of the
engines of the planes outside the gate where I wait. There are several others
around me…of different nationalities around me as a wait…so I can hear them all
converse in their native languages. The sun is shining bright through the
window where I sit…but that is as close to the scene as I can get in this
moment.
I am reminded that our world still needs
the power the Holy Spirit can give us. I
know that I am depending on it right now to stay calm and not worry about the
possibility that might be hanging out in
the airport till 10:00pm tonight….(its only 8:00 am right now). I know my
friend who just texted me for prayer needs a huge dose of Holy Spirit to help her
stay calm as she deals with some pretty serious health issues that her mom is
going through. And I am sure that someone in this airport needs some Holy
Spirit for something….possibly something that God will use me to help with as I
wait.
The Holy Spirit is not limited to giving us
new languages to speak in. It gives us
strength…. courage…. boldness….confidence…..self-control…insight….new abilities….authority….just
to name a few powers it gives to believers. I am guilty of not remembering to
ask God to fill me daily with its power…so I can be the most effective worker
for him. I can just imagine what I could
do for him if I tapped into the Holy Spirit’s power more each day.
Father…thank you for the reminder that you
gave us a powerful tool to help us be the best that we can be. Forgive me for the times that I forget to
call on it for help and do things in my own power. Help me to be more aware of my need to depend
on your power…and let you guide me as you did these great new Christians that
were the first to experience the power the Holy Spirit has to help us live and
do your work. Amen.
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