We are doing a series at church on the book of ACTS, and I have found myself stuck in chapter two. On the day of Pentecost, with all the believers gathered in one room waiting, the Holy Spirit come upon them all and they all started speaking in other tongues. The bible tells us that people heard this and while some mocked them, saying they were drunk, others were amazed because they could hear them speaking in their own native tongue (Acts 2:1-13).
We hear them declaring.
It’s a passage I have read many times, but have never noticed verse 2:11, which says, “Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
It may seem strange, but I’ve never thought about what the disciples were saying when they were speaking in tongues. But today as I was reading it, the words jumped out at me and captured my heart. And I have been meditating on them since.
What is our purpose?
As I meditated on the words, I felt the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit reminding me that that’s what I am supposed to be doing, declaring the wonders of God in my own tongue! Like many others, my family is in a challenging season. At times, I have allowed the situation to become bigger than God. I have spent more time praying about the situation than I have praising God and declaring His wonders.
We can spend more time thinking and praying about our circumstances and lose sight of the bigger picture; that we are here to know God and make Him known. In Psalm 19:1, David says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” And we are to do the same.
Declare His Glory
We are here to declare His wonders to the world around us in our own tongue. For some of us, that could be through writing or music or art. It may be through preaching and teaching. Or maybe it could be through sharing our testimony of what God has done in our life. Whatever it looks like, the purpose is the same; to glorify God and declare His wonderous works.
Praise Him
Whatever your situation today, be it mountain high or valley low, can I encourage you to lift your voice and declare the wonders of God in your tongue. Remind yourself of all the marvellous things that God has done. Maybe ask the Holy Spirit to show you someone you could share your testimony with. Write a blog or a poem about God and His lovingkindness. Whatever it may be, may we all declare the wonders of our God.
Reflection
In what ways do you declare the wonders of God?
When has God nudged you to lift your eyes to Him and what did it d?
I love this. A very timely word. Thank you so much.
Thank you for sharing, Julie. So great that God spoke to you through it.
Thank you for this devotion. God is strength in our valleys. This morning I was reflecting on (complaining about ) how the week has gone from high to low. Then I reminded myself that these are the times I need to “lift my eyes to Him”. It’s easy enough to do when things are going my way, but He is worthy of praise when things aren’t going so well, too. Even so, it is well with my soul, as the song says.
Amen, Sherma, He is our strength in our valleys. And I love that song, one of my all time favourite songs. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Thank you. Complaining in prayer is an easy trap to fall into, as it’s not far away from taking things to God in prayer. I needed that reminder. And the challenger to declare His wondrous works.
Absolutely, Dienece, it’s so easy to blur the lines of prayer and complaining and something I need to be mindful of, too. Glad you found the devotional helpful and thank you for sharing your thoughts!