“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and
you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Prayer
Have you ever wondered what you’d do if you were given a superpower? The
world is big and scary, and we (sometimes secretly) want to be the hero who
saves the person in the burning building or the driver of a car balanced
precariously on the edge of a bridge. I used to wish I could transform into the
Incredible Hulk, or stretch my arms like Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic
Four. Not the typical powers kids wished for, but they appealed to me.
Imagine if you were given such power, then never used it? You can suddenly
fly, or climb walls, but only use it to dust those hard-to-reach corners, or to
get a kite off the roof? “With great power comes great responsibility,” someone
once said.
What powers are we given as Christians, and what responsibilities? If it
seems like a stretch (pun intended) to compare having superpowers to being a
follower of Christ, think again.
Jesus tells His disciples to expect the ultimate gift of the Holy Spirit.
The power of God Himself to heal the sick, comfort the afflicted, and spread
His word throughout the globe. That last part is significant – there was no
internet nor mass communication. If you wanted to travel, you had to walk (if
you were wealthy, you might have a donkey). The world was just as big then as
now, but Jesus expected them to tell everyone living in it about His love and
gift of salvation.
This was not a human sized task. It was super-human. God-sized.
Funny thing is, they did it, but not under their own power. They used God’s
strength, through the Holy Spirit – who is God, residing inside each of us.
Early Christians did things no other human had done. Some healed the sick, or
spoke with such power and eloquence they changed thousands of hearts in one
day. They traveled without fear to countries they’d never heard of – or never
dreamed of going in their lifetime – and grew His church.
From these early apostles came missionaries stepping into unexplored rain
forests, revolutionaries defying a corrupt church to put the Bible into the
hands of common people, to quiet, unassuming people sharing with friends or
neighbors what their faith has done for them. With the Spirit’s help, we step
beyond our hesitancy and fear and change the course of history, for these people,
forever.
For us to share our faith with someone, or step into a situation we might
otherwise avoid out of fear or uncertainty, sometimes we need superhuman
strength. Not to lift cars, but to lift others above ourselves, to put their
need for Jesus above our own sense of comfort. He told us to do it, but knew
we’d need strength only He could provide. So he gave it freely.
All we have to do is go outside and use it, and change the world one person
at a time.
Holy Father, thank you for the strength to do Your will in our lives and
others’. Give me the power to step outside my own fear and hesitation, to share
Your truth with others around me in whatever way will speak to their hearts.
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