That’s the Spirit

Today we turn to a 3rd favourite Pentecost hymn of mine written by Andrew Reed.

Spirit divine, attend our prayer,
And make this house your home;
Descend with all your gracious pow'r;
O come, great Spirit, come!

In Acts 4:21 we read, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Sometimes, the Bible shows us people who are praying for things they already know God wants. Daniel counted the years until it was time for God to restore Jerusalem and then prayed that God would make it happen (Daniel 9:2, 16–19). In Jesus' "High Priestly Prayer," Jesus asks God to guard the testimony of His followers—which was God's plan all along (John 17:15). In the same way, the leaders of the church in Jerusalem pray for the boldness to speak God's word and the signs to validate that teaching (Acts 4:29–30). 

If they know this is God's will, why do they pray for it? Praying for God's will shows that we are ready to submit to His plan. It prepares our hearts for the changes about to happen. It is a way of stepping forward to volunteer for His work. It is good to have a demeanour that is properly submissive to God. To state that willingness in words for a specific goal at a specific time is powerful. 

The Holy Spirit honours their request by making Himself evident in their midst. They have chosen a path of hardships, persecution, and martyrdom. The Holy Spirit will never abandon them, and He will continue to strengthen them until their work is finished. Later, when faced with danger, they will be able to look back at this moment and remember both their willingness and the assurance that God approved of their prayer.

Prayer
Holy Spirit, our Comforter, and our Friend, as we stand on Your Word, we ask that You rain down on us. Let Your power fall on us and change our hearts. Open heaven wide and pour out the rain of Your Holy Spirit over our church and our lives. Change us, renew us, empower us. We need Your touch again. Precious gift from heaven, send us Your cleansing rain. Amen.