The Violent Wind and the Tongues of Fire

This spring has been a very blustery one! More so than I remember in the past! I love a spring-time breeze while sitting on the side porch but not one that is strong enough to blow away the books/papers I have with me! However, these strong winds remind me of the verses in Acts 2 which describe the day of Pentecost. The reading was part of an online Bible study entitled “Jesus in Me” by Anne Graham Lotz (2020), and the study focused on numerous chapters/verses in the Bible which gave the reader an in-depth study about experiencing the Holy Spirit.

The Pentecost reading was from Acts 2:1-8 (NIV):

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?

As I read these verses, I was led to several understandings not noticed before. The reading of these verses through the discerning process taught by Anne G. Lotz showed me what new perspectives God wanted me to learn.

Verse 1: The disciples and believers were together in one place. They could have scattered after Jesus died and said “Jesus is gone so I’m out of here!” But they stayed together. They prayed constantly as a community, coming into union with each other as they waited for the Father’s promised gift of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 2: God made it very obvious to them that something big was happening. A “sound like the blowing of a violent wind” was heard where they were sitting. “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire”. Hearing the wind and seeing “tongues of fire” certainly made it an experiential event which no one could have missed. God kept His promise to send the Holy Spirit to them.

Verse 3: The “tongues of fire” didn’t simply hover over them or rest on the group. They separated and rested on each one of the disciples. It became an individual experience because God wanted that individual relationship with each of them as well as with us.

Verse 4: The Holy Spirit filled them and gave them the ability to speak in other nations’ languages. These were Galilean men who had begun to speak in several different languages, not native to their own nation. God didn’t want them to only speak in their native language. This Good News was not for some “select” group of Jesus followers but for ALL people from ALL nations. The power of the Holy Spirit enabled that to happen.

Verses 5-7: In Jerusalem, there were “God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.” Scriptures listed 15 nations in verses 9-11. They heard the loud sounds of different languages being spoken and could each identify their own language. Each language was sharing the “wonderful things God has done.” These people were amazed at what was happening!

God did not and does not want His story to be shared among “select” groups or nations. We are to tell people everywhere about Him. He is the universal God; the God for ALL people; the God who loves and cares for us all; the God who will NEVER leave us or forsake us.

There were questions I asked myself after studying these verses: Am I open to sharing with ALL people? Am I open to meeting with those who are not currently in my path? Am I open to reaching out to others who are outside of my comfort zone? Have I emptied myself to make more room for Him? Questions to ponder for sure, but what do the violent wind and the tongues of fire say to me?

Thank you, God, for amazing us every day! Thank you for the experience of Pentecost and your love for ALL believers!.

Thanks for stopping by,

Rachel