Dona Watson

On the Day of Pentecost (recorded in Acts 2), God revealed a visual manifestation of his uncreated energy. It appeared to the apostles and those gathered in the upper room as something that resembled small flames of fire that rested on each one of them.

When the Holy Spirit filled the house where they were meeting, it was an immediate foreshadowing of the filling of God’s servants; it filled the house, then it filled the people. The events that occurred on this particular Day of Pentecost are so amazing that we will never be able to wrap our finite human minds around it — no more so than those who heard Peter’s subsequent sermon could understand it. The scripture records (Acts 2:7) that these people were amazed.

Try as we might, we will never be able to fully understand God’s power in our lives. He might manifest himself in ways that we can see (as in miracles), but I believe the most powerful manifestation of all is the way in which the Holy Spirit changes and directs the life of a child of God. Once we have been touched by the uncreated energy of God, he will become evident in all we say and do.

One cannot love God and not show that love to those around them. One cannot serve God without serving those around them. The life of a servant of God is marked by who he is, by what he does, by what he thinks. In this way, God’s Spirit is manifest in us. We will never understand it. We will never be able to explain it. But we can point to it as one of the chief ways God manifests his power in our world today.

In evangelical America, we often mourn the fact that we do not see many supernatural miracles around us, but let us never forget that the most supernatural miracle of all is the way God changes a man, woman, or child when he fills them with his Spirit.

How about you? Does your life, do your thoughts, do your actions reveal to those around you the manifest, uncreated energy of God? I don’t know about you, but I pray that this will be true in my life today and always.

But that was several months ago. Rumor had it the King had been taken into the heart of the enemy’s kingdom, where he had been and still remained in an impenetrable dungeon, deep in the labyrinth tunnels of a slumbering volcano.

Since the King had been taken, the kingdom had fallen into disrepair. Even though it had only been a few months, the villagers had lost all will to work. The crops had not yet reached harvest and the people had ceased their work in the fields. Some were discouraged and left for other lands, wondering why the King had left. Why hadn’t he at least tried to fight off the enemy?

Jake certainly didn’t understand. All he knew was that his family was hungry and there was no food in the village. So here he was, in the forest, bow and arrow in hand, searching for game. But although he had been searching all day, he had found nothing. With a deep sigh, Jake headed toward a frequently travelled game trail he knew about. If he hid in the bushes nearby, surely something would eventually appear on its way to the stream downhill.

The peasant reached the trail, and settled down behind a large oak to wait. After a time, he heard the crack of twigs. Jake peeked around the trunk of the tree until his target came in view. But it was not a target after all. It was a man, a worn traveller trudging toward him on the trail.

Great. So much for hiding. This guy probably scared off any game nearby. Nonetheless, Jake tried not to show his irritation as he straightened up and stepped out from behind the tree. “Mornin’, traveller. I’ve not seen you in these parts before.”

“My good sir,” the man replied. “Are you hunting?”

Isn’t that obvious? “Yes, I was waiting for a deer when you came by.”

“Hm. So you found nothing? Perhaps you should look down the path in the other direction.”

Why would that matter? Yet Jake had nothing to lose. He turned and looked down the path in the other direction. To his surprise, an enormous buck stepped into view. When the buck saw Jake, it froze, presenting the hunter with a perfect shot. In one motion, Jake took aim and released an arrow, which flew straight and lodged in the deer’s heart.

As the buck fell dead to the ground, Jake turned to the traveller. “Sir, how did you know…” But his voice trailed off as the man threw back his hood. There before him stood King Stephan. “But you’re…”

The King smiled. “Come, Jake. Let’s dress this buck out together and take it to the village.” Without waiting for a response, the King bent to the task.

As they worked, King Stephen explained to Jake that he had willingly been captured by the enemy so that he might spare his people from torture and certain death. Yes, he had been tortured and imprisoned himself, but after the enemy was sure he had won, King Stephen seized weapons from his guards and freed himself. Then in a showdown with his enemy, he gained passage back to his kingdom.

And so it was that the King and Jake took the venison back to the village, where the King blessed the people and then returned to his castle, charging the people to spread the news of his return.

The End…Or is it Just the Beginning?

(Does the story sound familiar? See the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 21.)

It hadn’t always been this way. Life had been good before the king left, before the enemy soldiers came.

Jake had been standing just inside the castle gates when the soldiers arrived. They galloped their horses up the road and straight through the castle gates unchallenged. As they pulled up to a stop, the horses’ hooves tore into the dirt and Jake squinted and turned his head to keep the swirling dust out of his eyes. The soldiers jumped off their chargers and tromped behind their captain into the keep.

Trembling, Jake followed the enemy as they trod through the main hall and into the hall where King Stephan sat upon his golden throne. The enemy captain stopped in front of the throne, drew his sword and growled, “You will come with us.”

At the door, one of King Stephan’s soldiers drew his sword and slashed one of the enemy soldiers from the back, drawing blood as he sliced through the leather armor.

But the King held up his hand. “No. Don’t stop them. I’ll go.” He  stood, lay down his scepter and crown and descended from the dais upon which his throne stood. The enemy captain spun on his heel and marched out, followed by his soldiers as they hustled the King outside and onto a horse. Then with another cloud of dust, the enemy and the King were gone.

As the pounding of the horses’ hooves faded into the distance, the villagers stared at each other in shock. What would happen to them? What would they do? What could they do?

(For the conclusion, see tomorrow’s post.)