"Longing to help in some way, I prayed for something I could do."
Scripture Reference: Acts 2:17-18 NIV “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”
Acts 2:33 NIV “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”
Almost two years ago, a member of CrossRoad Church got extremely ill. As a loved and devoted member of our church family, he received prayers from all over the world. Longing to help in some way, I prayed for something I could do.
Often prayer feels like so little when in reality it is the most important thing we can do for anyone. I kept asking God what else could I do? How could I help?
After one of many conversations with his wife, I was broken-hearted over how this couple, married 57 years, might be spending their last days together. In my sadness, the Holy Spirit began speaking to me. That night, I didn’t say a prayer. I wrote the most powerful prayer I had ever written. I was surprised to find that I didn’t recognize much of the writing when it was finished; as if it had been guided by a much more articulate mind.
Because I tend to listen selectively, sometimes I need a smack on my head to get my ears to work! I learned that night that the Holy Spirit speaks in ways that embrace the gifts you have been given, even if your gifts don’t include prophesying, or speaking in tongues. Since then, I have written many prayers and I seldom need a smack on the head to write them.
And our friend? Well, our friend recovered; he is a walking miracle!
If you are seeking the Holy Spirit, be encouraged that He is inside each of us. We received him the minute we accepted Christ into our hearts; we just need to set Him free and allow Him to speak through us. If you have a gift that God has given you, look within that gift to see how the Holy Spirit wants to speak through it.
I invite you to ask yourself these questions:
What gifts do you have that could serve someone within or even outside the body of Christ?
Do you recall any time that the Holy Spirit used one of your gifts to speak to you or others?
Optional Prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, please open my eyes and my spirit to recognize the gifts You have given me. Teach me to use my gifts in ways that will glorify You and help Your kingdom to grow. In Jesus Name,
Amen.”
