Shavuot (Pentecost) - Honor the Holy Spirit

Shavuot (Pentecost) is traditionally when Moses received the Torah from God on the stone tablets. It is also when the Holy Spirit was given to the Disciples of Yeshua as they had gathered, waiting upon the Lord at His instruction. It is a significant time and is also a pilgrimage festival when the Jewish worshipers are required to come up to Jerusalem. And to this day, they do come, by the tens of thousands, and gather at the Western Wall at dawn after praying all night.

The Lord impressed me about the Presence of God is the Holy Spirit dwelling among us. It is not some ethereal feeling we get, but rather, the living breathing breath of God who speaks to us, moves us to act in His name to impart life to others by words or laying hands upon them upon them for healing. The saturation of His Presence - the Holy Spirit - empowers us to fulfill the call of God upon our lives, acting as His representatives in the earth, moving about as Jesus would have done.

The Holy Spirit is the Counselor and Nurturer sent by God the Father, revealing the Person of Jesus, Three-in-One, Triune God. The Holy Spirit as nurturer broods over us, not unlike the Holy Spirit hovered over the chaos of the earth when it was first formed. He acts as a Mother who loves, guides, and directs her children until maturity is formed in them, and even continues into adulthood as their primary intercessor during their lifetime. In the same way the Holy Spirit broods over us and Mother's us until Jesus' image is formed in us and we can be presented spotless, clean, holy as a Bride prepared for her bridegroom.

A few years ago in Jerusalem, around the time of the biblical Feast of Shavuot (Pentecost), I considered the ministry of the Holy Spirit. I remember sitting at my piano with such gratefulness in my heart for the intimacy of the Holy Spirit and asked him for a song to express what was in my heart. Below is the link to the song the Lord gave me. With the song, we added clips filmed by my husband Ron during the priestly Aaronic Benediction of Shavuot at the Western Wall at dawn.

May the Lord inspire your heart with this prayer "Spirit, Holy One."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi2ouVx2U3g

In the Waiting Room

It seems we're all waiting. We're waiting for something to happen, waiting to pass through, waiting for someone, waiting for something. Events must happen before this can happen, someone must do this before we can do that, and so forth.

Always waiting: waiting for the appointment, waiting for the doctor report, the final results, waiting for the doctors to confer, to concur. We're waiting for the phone call . . . waiting with hope, waiting with dread, waiting with worry, waiting in faith. Waiting.

Waiting is a fact of life. But how we wait is the important element. Our waiting posture communicates "God loves me" or "God has been waiting to hurt me. I deserve this." The scripture is clear on God's intentions, however: "I know the plans I have for you...plans for good, and not for evil." This amazing promise given to the Prophet Jeremiah came is the midst of God communicating judgment to a people who deserved judgment at the time. So, even if we feel we deserve judgment, the end result of God's plan for us is always good.

I believe our "waiting room" should be the Throne room, where we wait upon the Lord, where we meditate upon the truth of His word allowing faith and trust in Him to take precident over fear and doubt.

You may not be in a waiting room at this time. That means you are in a good place to prepare for the waiting room. In these times, it is good to take in the Word of God - memorize it! - so it saturated our hearts when we need to recall the promises of God.

How do we pass through adversity, troubles, trials, the painful seasons in the waiting room of life? By. . .

• Proclaiming the truth of the word of God
• Applying the word of God appropriately for our situation
• Seeking to know God and His ways intimately; being familiar with how He works
• Exercising our faith and trust in God through adversity, troubles, and painful seasons

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall walk and not be weary, they run and not faint."
God surely has a plan to renew us through His word and His presence in His waiting room. Come today, and let Him minister to you. . . while you wait.