Acts 4: 23 “On their release, Peter and John returned to their own people and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant,c our father David:
‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’ 27 In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed. 28 They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen. 29 And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness, 30 as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
A miracle has taken place, Peter and John have been arrested and threatened by the religious authorities and then released. The believers in Jerusalem are holding a prayer meeting to celebrate; for all they knew, Peter and John might have been on their way to being crucified. And while these believers are affirming their faith, the Holy Spirit shakes the place where they are meeting and fills all of them again, so that they are able to witness boldly.
This dramatic shaking by the Holy Spirit must have been an incredible encouragement for the disciples. Interestingly enough, this is the last recorded time that something this dramatic takes place at a prayer meeting in Jerusalem. After this, the Book of Acts records times when other groups of people were filled with the Holy Spirit, but nothing this literally earth – shaking. Why did God allow this particular sign of His favor at that point? Perhaps the early Christians needed another infilling of the Holy Spirit. Certainly, this shaking and infilling would have been extremely encouraging and would have confirmed that God approved of what they were doing.
Does God do this kind of thing today? Actually, there have been a number of recorded incidents in recent years in which roaring winds and a shaking of the entire place have occurred. The Sentinel Group, http://www.sentinelgroup.org , produces films in a series they call “Transformations.” The Transformations films record what happens when Christians come together to pray for transformation of their communities. In the second film in the series, “Tranformations II, The Glory Spreads,” there is footage from a baptismal service held in a remote Eskimo village. As new believers are testifying and being baptized, suddenly a high – pitched rushing wind can be heard and the entire place is shaking. All of this has been captured on the recording, despite the fact that at a point the man doing the recording turned off his microphone!
“Oh!” we think, “If only God would show up that way in my life! How wonderful it would be to have such an experience!” But God will show up anytime we turn our faces to Him and pray to Him. While the earth might not shake and we might not hear rushing winds, we can hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking in our hearts. God does not play favorites. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that “a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4: – 24)
God is a rewarder of those who truly seek Him. When we quiet our hearts and pray, God always hears us, and He will answer those prayers.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you are a good Father who does not play games with your children! Thank you that you are more eager to meet us in prayer than we are to meet you. Lord, please let everyone who reads these words turn their hearts to you and seek you. Father, hear their prayers and give them your peace in their hearts! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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