Listen

When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

Acts 2:1–4

Think

Just before the risen Jesus returned to heaven, he instructed his disciples to “wait for what the Father had promised” (Acts 1:4). He continued to explain, “In only a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (1:5). Fifty days later, they are still waiting!

After seven weeks of anxious anticipation, everything changes suddenly. Wind, fire, and foreign speech signal the Spirit’s arrival. The disciples’ experience probably turned their expectations inside out. As faithful Jewish believers, they remembered the story of Elijah. That prophet sought in vain to encounter the Lord in a mighty wind and fire, only to hear the Spirit speak in a thin, quiet voice (1 Kings 19:11–12). Now, that same Spirit appears with wind, fire, and the speech of every nation.

This encounter reminds us of God’s great freedom. While the Lord “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), God encounters people in endlessly creative ways. As disciples of Jesus, we should expect the Spirit—but that often means expecting the unexpected.

Josh Hays

Question to Ponder:

When have you witnessed the Spirit at work in an unexpected way?

Pray

God, thank you for how creatively you deal with your beloved people. Please give me a sense of expectation for your Spirit’s work and the discernment to recognize it, even in surprising forms. Amen.

Go

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13