When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
Acts 2:1-3
An Amazing Event
Daily Devotion – May 19, 2024
Devotion based on Acts 2:1-3
See series: Devotions
“They were all together…” Who are the “they”? It’s probably best understood to be the 120 believers who are described in Acts 1:15 “In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty).” Yes, the apostles of Jesus are there, but there are many other believers there, too. People like Matthias, the person chosen to take Judas’ place as one of the apostles.
And did you notice? “Tongues of fire . . . came to rest on each of them!” Yes, there was a tongue of fire on Peter’s head, but there was also one on the head of all those unnamed believers in Jesus, like believer #57. James, John, Andrew, Thomas, and Matthias—each of them had a flame; so did believer #120.
If you had been there, you would have had a flame, too. Why? Because the Holy Spirit works on the hearts of each of us individually. Through your baptism, for example, you received the gift of the Holy Spirit. God brought you to believe that Jesus was your Savior. God convinced you that Jesus had paid for your sins. God assured you that there is a home in heaven awaiting. God the Holy Spirit works in your heart—individually, personally—even as he placed a flame on the heads of each individual on that Day of Pentecost.
It must have been an amazing event to experience! I can hardly imagine what it would have been like to be there. It must have been awesome!
The reality is that the Holy Spirit has worked an awesome miracle in you. He brought you to faith! He brought you from spiritual death to spiritual life! That’s a miracle! And every time you hear the Word of God, the Holy Spirit continues to pour himself out upon you.
Prayer:
O Holy Spirit, continue to bring your life-giving Word to my heart, that I might remain a child of God all my life, until that wonderful day when you take me to life eternal. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
