by Joanie Butman
When I was taught about the Trinity, the Holy Spirit was referred to as the Holy Ghost. I slipped back into that terminology recently during pre-dinner prayers, and my grown children laughed out loud. It does seem comical now, but in my youth it was downright scary. Even if the Holy Spirit turned out to resemble Casper the Friendly Ghost when He appeared, I still would have soiled the clean underwear my mother was so adamant about me wearing just in case. In case of what? Christ’s second coming? Somehow, I think the state of my soul would be more concerning to Him.
Today is Pentecost Sunday marking the arrival of the helper Jesus promised before His departure. Personally, the third person of the Trinity is hardest for me to understand and wrap my head around. Maybe because I’m not supposed to. He needs to be experienced, and even then it’s still difficult to describe to others. The advocate Jesus promised may have been more obvious to the disciples because they were eagerly awaiting Him and were given the ability to speak in a multitude of languages when He arrived. “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4).
Brooklynese is still the only language I speak, but the Holy Spirit has filled me with strength, courage, endurance, comfort and guidance repeatedly. I usually hesitate to share my Holy Spirit moments because they get diminished in the telling and usually elicit a lot of eye rolling. Regardless, when they come I’ve learned to recognize them. They are always coupled with a feeling of complete peace and confidence that I’ve just experienced a Divine moment.
In commemoration of Pentecost Sunday, I will share my most recent HS moment. Struggling with a major decision, I had been praying for weeks for guidance. I must be evolving because my usual MO is to make my decision then pray. This situation was too big, and I felt totally ill-equipped to know the path forward. I begged. I pleaded. My prayer warriors did the same. I refused to move forward without God’s guidance. I was specific, “Should I do this?”
A few weeks in I received a note (the old-fashioned kind that comes through the mail) from a woman at church who was not aware of the current situation. She explained that I had been in her thoughts for over two weeks and each time she stopped and prayed for me. She went on to say that “she felt led to send a note encouraging you that God sees you. Hears your prayers and is present. He knows your joys and your tears. Continue to seek his face. He is there. He will hold you and bring you whatever your soul is asking.” And here’s the kicker. She ended the note with, “The answer is YES.” and sent me to a Psalm that directly correlated to my circumstance. At that moment the heavy burden I’d been carrying lifted and was replaced with indescribable peace and comfort that defied my situation. Sometimes you just know that you know. That statement is the only way I can describe a HS experience. I had the answer I was seeking.
I immediately emailed a note of thanks and shared that she had been used as a messenger. When I asked about her last sentence, she responded that when she wrote that line, she thought it a very weird thing to write, “but I do trust what I write when it's God's prompting and pray that it is received for that person. Thank you for affirming me and the work of the Holy Spirit through me.”
I can feel some people rolling their eyes along with my family, but as I’ve said I’ve had these moments often enough to accept them without question. God continued to affirm His presence and guidance throughout a difficult few weeks. Just because He directed my path didn’t make it easy. In fact, it was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Trust me, the path of His choosing is never the easy one, but knowing you are not traveling it alone makes all the difference.
I’ve come a long way from that little girl who feared ghosts, but I can assure my mom that in all my dealings with the Divine He’s never inquired as to my laundry habits. While Pentecost Sunday celebrates the Holy Spirit’s arrival, His continued presence deserves celebration every day. Choose to believe that His power is available to all who seek it. What are you struggling with? Why not choose to rely on God’s counselor, comforter, helper – the Spirit of truth, something this world desperately needs.
Choose wisely!