May I Introduce....Part 3
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When Jesus addressed his disciples before He went to the cross, He told them the Holy Spirit would be their Helper, would teach them, and bring back to remembrance all that Jesus had told them (John 14:26). He is still fulfilling that ministry for believers who will honor Him. Perhaps the best way to explain how He works is to give some examples of how He has worked in my life.
One particular Friday evening, I was heading to a women’s retreat at a Christian camp. Two hours later, I found myself on a very dark, very empty highway in the middle of nowhere. I asked the Holy Spirit to please watch over me and help me find the camp. About 30 minutes later, I heard Him say, “You just passed it.” The rear-view mirror reflected only blackness; trees lined the road on both sides - there was no indication of a camp. But I knew the Holy Spirit’s voice, so I stopped and turned around. In doing so, my headlights panned a small sign about 15 feet off the highway, completely enveloped in darkness. The camp was to the right. I turned onto an unlit dirt road and sped through the woods toward it.
A minute later, that same voice spoke again. “Slow down and watch for deer.” I did so, and the road made an abrupt 90-degree turn. A clearing lay before me, filled with a large number of deer. A doe and fawn gracefully exited the roadway. Had He not warned me, this precious gift from God could have instead been tragic for me, my car, and several beautiful deer.
I stopped at a local gas station one morning a few months ago and pulled up to the pump. A pickup truck pulled in behind me with two men inside. The Holy Spirit gently nudged me to wait. I pulled a card from my purse and checked the rearview mirror again. The men sat in the truck, staring straight ahead. I did a couple of other things; they continued to stare. I started the car and put it into drive. The scene in the mirror was hilarious: both of their jaws dropped at the same time. What were they up to? I don’t know. But was I safer for listening to the Holy Spirit? Absolutely.
Although God uses an audible voice at times (Exodus 3; Matthew 3), more often than not, He speaks with a “still small voice” (I Kings 19) or a gentle inward nudging. The still small voice is usually very clear and precise. A nudging can be direct or indirect, but just as certain. A few days ago, He nudged me to do something specific for a friend. When I did, she looked up at me and asked, “How did you know?”
Perhaps you’re wondering how I can be certain it wasn’t an angel speaking to me in the car. I have heard angels sing. Their voices are beautiful. The primary difference I have noticed between the voice of the Holy Spirit and the voice of an angel is that an angel speaks from around a believer; the Holy Spirit speaks from within a believer. It is similar to a thought, yes, but you know for certain it doesn’t come from you. (Please remember, the Holy Spirit never speaks anything contrary to God’s word, the Bible.)
We’ll wrap this up in Part 4.
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