2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
It is now fifty days since the resurrection and ten days since they saw Jesus ascend into the sky. They had spent some of this time back in Galilee where the saw Jesus, and they spent some choosing a successor to replace Judas. Now they were gathered praying for the Advocate that Jesus had promised. The coming of the Holy Spirit in such a fashion must have surprised them as would the ability to speak in languages that they, themselves, didn’t understand. Those who were in Jerusalem for the celebration of Pentecost, the harvest festival, were surprised when they heard them praising God in their languages and not the Aramaic or Hebrew that they would have expected. So many were convinced by Peter’s preaching that they were baptized signaling the beginning of what would become the Christian church.
Many of us probably don’t remember our “Pentecost” when we received the Holy Spirit at our baptisms. But the time comes for each of us when we do become aware of the Spirit of God living within us. We most likely were not able to speak in foreign languages praising God, but hopefully it made a difference in our lives. You have no idea how often I call upon the Holy Spirit to guide me.
When I am facing a difficult decision; when I need to know the right words to say; when the going gets hard and I need to keep on going; these are but a few of the situations when I ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen me, and inform me so that I do what is best for all concerned. The Holy Spirit is there for us all, just as it was for the apostles. We may not be speaking in tongues, but we will receive the gifts we need.
Thank you, Lord for sending your Spirit so that we might have your grace to call upon whenever we are in need. Amen.
