Tarry Ye! a devotion by Keona J Tann

I recently purchased an absolute gem of a book for it contains sermons and writings by Aimee Semple McPherson¹ which I’m slowly working my way through. I say slowly because it is a thick book but also it takes time to digest each sentence because she writes with such depth. In the 1920s, as a healing evangelist, Aimee touched millions of lives² and her impact is still being felt to this very day because her sermon dated June 1921 titled: “The Baptism of the Holy Spirit: the Need of the Church Today” touched my life and planted a desire in my heart. Aimee opens with the declaration that the CRYING NEED of the church today is a real baptism of the Holy Spirit. The hearts of earnest pastors are crying out to God as they kneel in the study, over the lack of power, the indifference and absence of the young people, the cold materialism and unbelief of those that remain, and the lack of revival fires. But let us not lose heart for Aimee explains that there is one sure way back to power, back to the old-time glory, back to Pentecostal conviction, soul winning, and sweeping revivals, one way back to the old-time welling, praiseful Hallelujahs and glory that will draw the thronging multitudes from the haunts of sin, help us arrest their attention, and fix their eyes upon Christ. This one way is plainly described by Jesus: “Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endured with power from on high … Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you …receive ye the Holy Ghost.”³

My reflections

As I reflected upon Aimee’s opening statement I saw within my own life:

• a lack of power;
• how I had been indifferent and even absent;
• I’d allowed materialism to drive me;
• and unbelief had taken hold of me many times.

As I reflected upon that the Holy Spirit revealed to me a picture: I saw a garden hose and all the parts laid out – the nozzle, the connectors, the hose and the tap. The Holy Spirit then declared: ‘I am the tap, Jesus the hose, God the connectors and you’re the nozzle, apart from Me you cannot produce the flow.’⁴

I saw that during my time of sickness (2014-2016) I had become disconnected and therefore I was like a nozzle that had become dry. Sept 2016, when God declared healing over my life, a reconnection had taken place whereby I (represented as the nozzle) had reconnected back to the life-giving source (the hose and tap). But I still felt I lacked the power that Jesus promised, where was the promised flow I wondered, so I prayed and pondered some more.

Promised Power

A desire sparked in my heart for God’s life-giving waters to flow to me and through me in greater measure. I wanted to take hold of Jesus’ promise, in John 7:38, that rivers of living water would flow from my heart⁵. I wanted to experience afresh the promised power from on high (Luke 24:49)⁶ that would empower me to affect those around me. I want to:

• be equipped with power so that I’m filled with love and passion for the lost;
• freely give the great and glorious gift of salvation that I have received;
• be equipped to deliver people from torment and place my hands upon the sick in order to see them recover (Mark 16:17-18)⁷
• bring glory to Jesus in ALL that I do⁸.

A longing planted itself within my heart for the Holy Spirit (as the tap) to be turned on with such a force that those around me would become drenched in the Father’s love.

Tarry Ye!

How was I to gain this fresh anointing? By tarrying, but what does that even mean? It simply means that just as the disciples were instructed to wait expectantly for the Holy Spirt to come⁹ I was also to wait. Now there seems to be much debate around how many days passed between Jesus’ departure and the arrival of the Holy Spirt, there is an estimate of anything between 7 and 10 days¹⁰, however the important thing is that there was a period of tarrying (waiting).

How did they wait? In his commentary on Acts 2 Ed Richard¹¹ explains that the 120 gathered would have been in an upper room of a house but would have also spent time worshipping and fellowshipping at the Temple (Luke 24:52–53)¹². Whatever activity they were doing it would have been focused, in earnest prayer, for the promised Spirit to come because they sought to be close to God so that the Holy Spirit would find them ready for His use¹⁰.

How can we wait?

Now I understand that to wait upon the Lord may seem like an impossible task because we simply cannot shut ourselves away for a number of days on end. We have commitments that we cannot ignore, but I believe that if we desire a new or a fresh touch from the Holy Spirit we can achieve it with a simple prayer and a shift of focus. Aimee suggest that we simply open our hearts to the searchlight of heaven and cry out: ‘Lord I know that the world is starving for the gospel of power that will meet the crying need of body, soul and spirit. I acknowledge that there is but One way to meet that need; there is but One solution to the problem; One glorious path to victory and that is the baptism and the power of the blessed Holy Spirit. So I cry out Lord and I ask You to strip me of everything within me that is of this world, tear away self and sin. Empty me Lord, cleanse and purify this cold heart of mine. Melt me in humble repentance at Your crucified feet. Mould me and shape me. Take doubt and fears away dear Lord. Enable me to fix my eyes upon the Bible, the dear Word of God, with a fresh expectation and to grasp hold of the promises within. Lord unpack to me the promised power and lead my poor faltering feet to find the lowest step that will lead me to the upper room.

Baptise me with Your power. Please grant me Your might. Give me, Master, nothing short of the mighty power of Acts 2:4, not for selfish gain but so that I can bring glory and honour to You Lord Jesus!

Lord may I become a flaming torch held within Your mighty hand, light me to lead the lost to Calvary; the Christian to the upper room; and the Spirit-filled believer to the harvest fields to glean and work for You.

Lord I long to see sinners saved, the sick made whole and believers filled with Your power. Lord I long for my church’s altar to overflow and the church itself to become too small.

Help me to praise You today Lord Jesus, to lift You high and to wait well for the promised power to come. Lord, help me to serve and praise You forevermore.

In Jesus’ mighty name I invite the Holy Spirit afresh. Lord come have Your way, let it be as it is in Heaven. Amen!” ¹³

Now receive

Oh dear friend eagerly await the power from on high!

God is eager to give you the Holy Spirit in greater measure than ever before, simply keep on asking and keep on seeking for everyone who asks will receive and everyone who seeks will find the thing they long for the most (see Luke 11:9-13).

Let a prayer ring out as your first act of the morning.

Let your heart connect with God in the middle of the day.

Let your final act, before sleep, be a prayer of gratitude for the day.

Praise Him and receive. Let your hunger for more of God drive you and guide you.

Rejoice now and discover the power from on high. Be expectant, be excited and be encouraged.

Many blessings, Keona

Notes:

1. Semple McPherson, Aimee. The Collected Sermons and Writings of Aimee Semple McPherson, Volume 2. United States of America: Echo Park Evangelistic Association. 2015. I purchased it via Book Depository.
2. You can read more about Aimee’s amazing life in an article by Christianity Today.

Also there is a great book by Bill Johnson and Jennifer A. Miskov titled: “Defining Moments: God-Encounters with Ordinary People Who Changed the World” which contains a chapter about Aimee’s life and ministry. This is the Amazon link about the book.

3. Pg 211 of book noted in note #1.

4. Similar to the promise found in John 15:5 New Living Translation (NLT): “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

5. “Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”John 7:38 (NLT)

6. “Listen carefully: I am sending the Promise of My Father [the Holy Spirit] upon you; but you are to remain in the city [of Jerusalem] until you are clothed (fully equipped) with power from on high.”” Luke 24:49 Amplified Bible (AMP)

7. “¹⁷ These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.^[a]18 They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”” Mark 16:17-18 (NLT)

8. “… live your life in a way that glorifies and honors God. 1 Corinthians 10:31b The Passion Translation (TPT)

9. Tarry definition: “To stay in expectation; to wait.” KJV Dictionary.

10. Days between Jesus’ departure and the arrival of the Holy Spirit: 7 days, bibleQ  10 days: Sermon Index forum.  Answers.com.  James at Spotlight Ministries.

11. Ed Richard’s detailed Commentary on Acts 2.

12. “⁵² And all they could do was worship him. Overwhelmed and ecstatic with joy, they made their way back to Jerusalem. ⁵³ Every day they went to the temple, praising and worshiping God.” Luke 24:52-53 (TPT)

I also read Matt Slick’s sermon notes about Pentecost.

13. The Prayer has been inspired by Aimee’s prayer found on pages 213-214 of book noted in note #1: Let us open our hearts to the searchlight of heaven and cry unto Him, “Strip us, Lord, of everything, of the world and self and sin. Empty, cleanse, purify these cold hearts of ours. Melt us in humble contrition at Thine own crucified feet. Take doubts and fears away, dear Lord……

Help us to fix our eyes upon the Bible, the dear Word of God, the promised power, the pattern given; the definite, practical results that lead therefrom; and then, oh, precious Lord, help our poor, faltering feet to find the lowest step and mount the stair that leads us to the upper room.

Baptize us with Thy power; endure us with Thy might. Give us, Master, nothing short of the mighty power of Acts 2:4, not for our own sake but for Thy name’s sake, that, as a  flaming torch, we may be held within Thine hand to point the way to others, to lead the lost to Calvary, the Christian to the upper room, and the Spirit-filled believer to the harvest fields to glean and work for Thee.

Then we will see the sinners saved, the sick made whole, believers filled with Thy power; then will our altars overflow, our churches be too small. The world is starving for the gospel of power that will meet the crying need of body, soul and spirit. There is but one way to meet that need; there is but one solution to the problem, one glorious path of victory open: ‘tis the baptism and the power of the blessed Holy Ghost. ”