Daily devotional · May 6
The Spirit Arrives
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
The first disciples were waiting in a room, unsure of what came next, when the Spirit arrived with the sound of wind and what looked like tongues of fire resting on each person. Those ordinary, frightened followers began to speak in languages they had not learned, and the message of Jesus started crossing borders it had never crossed before. Many Christians remember this event at Pentecost, though the date moves from year to year. The lesson is not merely spectacle. The Spirit came to empower a community for witness, and he came on everyone present, not on a select few. Today, ask God to fill you again, and be specific: ask for courage to say one honest word about your faith, or for gentleness with someone difficult. Then watch for the opening. He tends to answer such prayers in the middle of an ordinary day.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, fill me afresh. Give me courage and gentleness to bear witness to Jesus today.