We Are Not Aloneნიმუში

We are not alone

In the still hours of early morning, I sometimes think about the very human experience of feeling alone. It’s my favorite time of day when, in the stillness and the silence, I sense God is present, the Spirit of God gently moving in the room and in my soul.

But my thoughts can drift to yesterday and to my impressions of people’s aloneness; the person on the park bench who I saw while walking; a couple who, although together when I saw them in a restaurant, seemed alone in their thoughts as they waited for their meals; or the group of teenagers who, while riding a train, I noticed sitting in silence, looking at their phones.

Sometimes I recall aloneness in the workplace. In a team meeting, unity and goodwill seemed to be lacking. The team members needed assistance from a power beyond themselves to blend their hearts, help them focus, and be creative in their planning.

The good news of Pentecost is that we are not alone; that the Spirit of God has been given to "all people." Acts 2 records that there was no discrimination in who received the Holy Spirit on what we now know as "the Day of Pentecost." Without exception, "all" of the 120 people waiting in an upper room in Jerusalem for what Jesus had promised, were "filled with the Holy Spirit."

What happened in the room reverberated outside. The whole city was stirred. Fifty days after Jesus ’resurrection, God broke into the human experience in a momentous way. Everything changed. As people asked what was going on, the Apostle Peter announced that it was the fulfilment of "what was spoken by the prophet Joel, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people," (Acts 2:17).

All people! Praise be to God who acted decisively that day, once and for all time. We are not alone! The Holy Spirit is with us, the companion of our souls.

Prayer: Dear Holy Spirit, thank you that you are with me every moment of the day, amid constant busy actions, and relaxation, my relationships and my solitude. I pray for deep renewal of my life, my mind, my body and my spirit. Amen.