Recently one of my prayer group regulars talked about our need of the Holy Spirit’s power upon us just as it was on the disciples in Acts. He seemed to think it was a matter of just asking for it and the power would be given.
Based on the stories of the empowering of the apostles in Acts, I wonder if there is more to it than that. The apostles had a goal that was bigger than them, so they required God’s own power to make it happen. “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel.” That’s a God-size task requiring God’s power.
I suspect that most of us have much smaller goals in mind and we pace ourselves so that we can accomplish them in our own strength. Our goals may be work-related, hobby-related, or something to do with home or school. But for the most part we won’t be asking for God’s empowering because our tasks are modest and doable on our own.
If we prayed for the Spirit’s power and it came upon us, we certainly would get more done more quickly, but would God’s purposes really be fulfilled? If we are aimless now, without a strong sense of God’s purpose, I think we would do more, but still aimlessly, randomly.
Not so with the early apostles. They took Christ’s commission to heart, and looked to God’s help to accomplish a God-sized goal. They already knew the task was bigger than them, but were willing to go for it — if God would aid them. And aid them He did. The apostles asked because they knew their need!
What’s our main purpose for living? Is it a God-sized task, or the American Dream? Is it honoring God, or living within our comfort zone, plugging into our glowing screens, seeking a comfortable lifestyle, and all the while tuning out God?
The apostles were filled with the power of God, and it helped them to stand against the opposition. In other words, when they followed the will of God, it wasn’t a path of outward peace and happiness, but struggle. Maybe we think that the blessing of God is seen with our possessions, friends, money, good health, and general ease of life. In that blessing, is there any reason to pray for the empowering of the Spirit who is Holy? Why bother, when we enjoy all the blessings we want?
When the apostles prayed for the Spirit, they asked for boldness to continue in the face of danger. They were willing for God’s will, though it meant suffering. Are we willing to accept that kind of life?
In Isaiah 40 the promise is given to those who wait on God — that they will run and not faint. I believe this strength is that of the power of the Holy Spirit, as known by the apostles in Acts. Who else will wait on Him but those who feel powerless to move forward without Him? Few wait on Him because we are moving within our comfort zone according to our ability. But the apostles had no choice — the God-given task was too big for them to handle on their own. Confronted by the weakness of the flesh in the midst of opposition, they needed to pray and wait.
We don’t really have far to look to find crippling weaknesses in ourselves. Are you the ideal father and husband who disciples his family for the kingdom of God? If not, why not? Do you see your household responsibility as a God-given task, or has it been buried under an avalanche of cares for this life? Do you see a reasons in any part of your life to wait on God in prayer for strength and wisdom? Could you confidently handle the inner and outer opposition that would mount if you began to take the task seriously?
As I consider these things, my heart is like a stone. I realize that I have chosen the easy path, and shied away from the harder choices when the consequences were beyond my ability to control or predict. I want a life I can handle and control. But that isn’t the life God has in mind for us. What did Jesus say about the born-again life in John 3? It’s like the wind: you can hear it blowing, but you can’t tell where it comes from or where it’s going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit; their life is unpredictable; they are guided by the Spirit here and there according to God’s timetable and not their own.
Jesus came to upset the “normal” way of life, to replace a structured religion with the unpredictable currents of the Spirit. If we were to accept that we must, through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God, would we follow Jesus more? Or have we accepted Jesus because He’s our ticket to heaven with no questions asked, or our ticket to the good life on earth? Usually, when disciples of Jesus hear of His “hard sayings,” they no longer walked with Him. What is the most compelling reason why you are a Christian, and how do you justify following that way without God’s power?
Why would we wait and pray for the power of the Holy Spirit if we have no intention of accepting God’s impossible task for us? Without God’s movement on our hearts to accept the challenge of following Him no matter what, we have no reason to pray for this power. We are satisfied with a powerless Christianity, and the Devil wants it that way. If we can’t stir ourselves up in repentance and faith, then his kingdom remains secure.
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
This is the purpose for the power — to witness of Jesus. We were never called to be just a nice people who go to church. We were never to compromise with sin and depravity because it’s just too hard to overcome. If being a witness of His resurrection, love, and grace appeals to you, then call upon God for the power to live it and express it. If your goal is “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” then wait and pray – the Lord is looking for you, that He might equip you with power to accomplish His will through you.
