Our Stories
Experiences of the Spirit
By Abigail Welborn | posted 06/04/2009
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." (Acts 1:8, NKJV)
I remember a sermon from years ago at Creekside talking about the Holy Spirit. Mac was preaching, and he pointed out that the word power in Acts 1:8 is the Greek word dunamis, from which we also get the word dynamite. For some reason I had never considered the magnitude of what Jesus was saying there. He wasn't talking about the power of a light bulb - he's talking TNT! This sounds like something I should get plugged into.
But truthfully, I don't pay enough attention. The final affirmation of Covenant theology - a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit - is a challenge precisely because of that first adjective. Conscious. That means that we intentionally try to be aware of it. I don't think I've experienced much of that in my life, and it's not because I meant to avoid it... I just never thought about it. What kind of radical difference could that make in my life if I did?
The Holy Spirit is constantly at work in our lives, but his work doesn't look the same in every instance or in every person. So I thought I would share a few stories of times when I've felt the Spirit touch me, and see if I can extrapolate how that might look if I tapped into his power more often.
The first is an experience with which most Christians, I think, are familiar - making a tough decision. I was 18 and trying to choose a college, which at the time was the biggest decision I'd ever made. It felt too soon to have to know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. (Of course, most students switch majors at least once, but I like to make a plan and stick with it.) After visiting schools and deliberating options and praying very hard, I went with my gut feeling. As soon as I said "Michigan," I knew I had made the right choice, and years later I still think so. I didn't hear an audible voice or see a sign, but I knew I had examined all my options thoroughly, prayed diligently and trusted God to lead me. After the tension of not knowing, a peace in my soul confirmed what felt at first like gut instinct.
The second experience is a little more unusual. My mother actually did get to hear from God. She was in college and pondering how to complete her history major and still take all the Bible and Christian education electives that interested her. While mulling this over, a thought came to her - not necessarily to her physical hearing, but as clear in her head as if she'd heard it: "Drop the history major. You're going to be working for Me anyway, so you won't need it." She changed her goals to pursue Christian ministry (and, incidentally, met my dad while in seminary). Though she hadn't been expecting a voice from above, she was receptive and quiet enough to hear it.
The third experience would be what Dan on Sunday called "exotic." While I do believe that, to some extent, God performs more miracles in cultures that are expecting them, they aren't called miracles for nothing. My grandmother saw more than her share of both suffering and miraculous circumstances in life, and though she was absolutely unswerving in her faith, she always struck me as a very pragmatic Christian. Yet late in life, while in the hospital with a severe illness, she had a vision. My mom had rushed from Michigan to Kansas to be with her, and she was certain that this would be the end. Then, after a few days, Grandma woke up and said she'd had a vision of an open door. In the vision, she asked, "Is it time? May I come in?" A voice replied, "No, not yet," and then a hand pushed the door closed from the other side. She was on the road to recovery, and we were blessed to have another year with her before God finally called her home.
I think it's no coincidence that the most common experience of being led by the Spirit seems to involve the least input. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and if he just swooped down and gave us the answer every time we asked a question, we'd begin to think of him more like a Magic 8 ball than the ruler of the universe. At the same time, we know that he is deeply concerned for our lives, in both large and small ways. He's promised that he will always give us guidance if we ask (James 1:5); indeed, he wants us to ask. He knows whether we need strong affirmation or the chance to take a step of faith, so he knows the best way to answer each question. Sometimes it's a feeling of peace, other times it's a great big glowing sign, but the point is, we have to be willing to listen.
And that, I think, is what "conscious dependence" really feels like. A continual flick of the thoughts upward. Am I still on the right track? Anything you want me to do? The more we ask, the more we're prepared to listen. The more we listen, the more likely we are to hear from him - even at times when we haven't asked a question. The more we listen, the more we'll get used to acting on what he says - and frankly, if you're like me, you have to get used to acting so you don't talk ourselves out of obeying or think you've imagined the instruction. And of course, the more we act, the more we see God work, and the more his Kingdom is glorified and our faith is strengthened. Now that's a power worth depending on.
Abigail can be reached via email here.
