Do you still spend time imagining? Not imagining "what if such and such happened or will happen." Imagine. Using your creativity as a child plays with plastic fruit or plays dress up. The kind of stimulating imagination that gets you 'out of the box'. If you are an artist in some way, then you imagine that of which you are creating. If you are not and don't imagine, you should take some more time to do so. I love to ponder how creative our God is...it is amazing.
Anyway, the other day I was reading Acts and I got so absorbed imagining what the day of Pentacost was like. Can you imagine if you were there? If you were a foreigner in Jerusalem and all the sudden heard your own language? Immediately your ear tunes in, you make your way through the crowd that is beginning to gather so that you can see the source of what you are hearing. He is saying something about God the Creator...something else about Jesus. "The Jesus that was just crucified last month?," you ask yourself. You finally get a good look at the face of the voice that is speaking your mother tongue...wait, what? Isn't that? I thought he was...He is one of those Galileans that was with that Jesus. Yes. But how? How does he know how to speak my language, he is not learned. He is a fisherman. "They are all drunk!," shouts a man. Others shout the same. But you listen. This man is not slurring his speech, I can understand him clearly. This man must be a prophet.
Just as you think this, one of them speaks up now in Aramaic. You recognize him. He too was always with the Teacher. You're not sure his name...maybe Simon? Nonetheless, he continues on about Jesus, that he was the Messiah. "But what does that have to do with me? I am not a Jew. He may have been the King of Kings, but what can he do for me?" Your heart deflates a little at this thought, but somehow the words of the man who spoke your own language come back to your head. You think that maybe this Jesus could indeed be the God of all Creation if he somehow let this unlearned man speak in your language. "It seemed as if he was speaking to me and me alone." Your heart swells again and something convinces you that this Messiah can, too, be your Savior. "It must be true. I know it is true."
OR, SITUATION #2...
You are a follower of Jesus. You are not named among the 12 disciples, but wherever Jesus was, there you were. He spoke to you one day on the side of the road, encouraging you to believe in God. His eyes looked into your soul as he spoke. "How did he know my doubts about God and this life of misery that I am leading?" From that day on your soul could not drink enough of the man's words. He was a prophet. "No, he was the Son of God."
Despite his death on the cross, there was some glimmer of hope that you would see this Jesus again. And just like he said, He raised from the dead! You SAW him! You were among the witnesses and you saw him rise into Heaven. From there you accompanied the other 119 daily in prayer and expectation of this Holy Spirit that Jesus said he was sending to teach us and comfort us.
3 days go by and your expectation rises. Jesus rose on the 3rd day. "Is today the day we will see this Spirit?," you think. A week goes by and nothing, yet you continue to believe.
Then on the 10th day, there is this huge wind. All of the sudden you see these weird "tongue"-looking sort of fireballs on people. There's one on you too! Then what a commotion, you hear Simon Peter speak something you definitely don't understand. Then John says something it seems as in Greek. And just as he finishes, you get this urge from deep in your belly to shout. You feel lie you are on fire. And you heave as if to throw up, but instead of lunch, words come out of your mouth. You listen and recognize your voice, but "what am I saying???" You have never heard anything similar to it. Out come a few more words and all you can do is listen. It's over, but your soul, your being feels different as if light is bursting out from within you. You are without words. You look up to heaven. Tears stream down your face. The joy of the Lord is too great.
"Jesus, I know You are seeing. THIS is what you said when You said You would leave with us Your Spirit. Is this how You felt when You were with us? My heart can never doubt your words of truth again. You, indeed, are the Christ. You have not left us as orphans."
Again, words become insufficient to express this feeling of exuberance. You prostrate and worship and soak up as much of this Holy Spirit as possible. The others continue to cry out in strange tongues, but you only hear a distant mumbling as you are consumed and overwhelmed with the mystery of God.
Can you see it now? Can you imagine? What an amazing God we serve! What a privilege to have His Word that we can know Him, that we can read of the Creation of the world, the transformation of the world through Christ and of the abundant life we can share in Him!
Blessings and Happy New Year! May it be filled with renewed joy and zeal for our King of Kings!
Jess
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