ACTS 2:2  ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

DAILY READING – Acts 26:1-18; Ruth 3-4; Psalm 48

Hudson Taylor was the founder of the China Inland Mission and was one of the greatest  missionaries to China. However  when he was journeying to China for the first time, he had an experience that showed him  that God indeed answers prayers.  On this first trip in 1854 he was travelling on a ship. But as they journeyed, the wind carrying the ship suddenly ceased, stalling its movement. Unable to sail forward, the ship drifted towards the shore. A four-knot current carried it swiftly towards some sunken reefs. The danger however was that on that shore was a cannibal island on the coast of New Guinea. Already, the cannibals had sighted the ship and were waiting excitedly for it to land. They had even lit fires in anticipation of a great feast.

The English captain and the crew of his ship had done everything they could to change the ship’s course but without success. Alarmed, they stood on the deck awaiting a fate of doom. Soon Hudson Tailor heard an urgent knock on his stateroom door. He opened it, and there stood the captain of the ship. “Mr. Taylor,” he said, “we have no wind. We are drifting toward an island where the people are heathen, and I fear they are cannibals.” “What can I do?” asked Taylor. “I understand that you believe in God. I want you to pray for wind.”

Hudson replied, “Four of us on board are Christians. Let each of us retire to his cabin and in agreed prayer ask the Lord to give us a breeze immediately.” And so with the other Christians on board Hudson went into prayers. After a few minutes of earnest intercession, Hudson came up on deck confident that the petition had been granted. Finding the first officer in charge, he requested him to let down the corners of the main sail immediately, because a wind was coming. There was not a minute to waste, since they were so near the cannibals now. The officer however doubted the possibility of a wind, since he couldn’t find any; but as he was still questioning Hudson’s request, he suddenly noticed that the topmost sail was beginning to tremble, indicating indeed the presence of wind. They immediately let down the main sail, even as a great wind descended, engulfing the ship and immediately carrying them away from the dangerous reefs, much to the disappointment of the native cannibals on the beach.

John 14:13 says, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Prayer works. Through prayer, we engage the wind of the Spirit to carry us to our desired shores. Indeed we need the wind of the Spirit to set sail in life. Without His wind, a man’s life will remain stagnant or much worse, drift to dangerous shores. If there has been no desired forward movement around you, perhaps it is because the wind of The Spirit is missing.

Just as Jesus could not do miracles until the Spirit came upon Him, there can be no divine activity until His wind comes. The apostles were locked up in the upper room bound in fear, but when the wind of the Spirit began to blow in acts 2, they broke out into the city and took the world by storm!

Just as movement announces the presence of the wind, supernatural occurrences assure us that God is near. Psalm 75:1 says, ‘for that thy name is near, thy wondrous works declare’. Signs and wonders are indications the Spirit has come. When He came in acts chapter 2, He brought eruptive movements; suddenly things began to happen. We need the wind of the Spirit to move our lives forward. Without His wind every life remains spiritually dormant and stagnant. It is only when He begins to move in our lives that signs and wonders begin to erupt. It is only by His divine activity in our lives that we can see glory of God manifest around us. Let us therefore through fervent prayers engage The Spirit  for a forceful turnaround. Things must begin to work, our lives must go forward! Let us therefore today take up the responsibility of  being diligent in the place of prayer so as to ignite the moving of The Spirit upon our lives. By the power of The Spirit upon us, signs and wonders will become the order of our day in Jesus’ name.

PRAYER: LORD, I NEED THE WIND OF YOUR SPIRIT TO BEGIN TO BLOW LIKE NEVER BEFORE IN MY LIFE. I NEED TO SEE YOUR SIGNS  AND WONDERS MANIFEST; I NEED THE COURSE OF MY LIFE CHANGED FROM MERE DRIFTING TO SUPERNATURAL PROGRESS  IN JESUS NAME.

QUOTE :

Until you cry out in the place of prayer certain things won’t happen– WORDBITE 222.