Speaking Through Us

“You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Matthew 10:19-20

Jesus reassured the Apostles about their mission, that they should not be worried about how they were to speak or what they were to say. This held true whether they were praying over people who were sick, or whether they were before the courts of men. As long as they were following Jesus’ instructions, He would be with them with His Spirit, walking beside them, guiding them, and helping them. 

This is as true today as it was then. In our mission as God’s ambassadors, God’s presence in the world, God’s light, we can be intimidated and chastened. There is so much against our speaking out against evil and injustice. The world wants to stifle our voice when we speak against abortion, extrajudicial killings, corruption, etc. But it is the same Spirit who gave wisdom and boldness to the apostles who is with us today. 

We can call on the Holy Spirit to give power to our words when we pray for others. When Kerry Davidson moved to Liberia, she was so bothered with all the quarrels she witnessed daily among her neighbors. She would sit on her front porch, and see her neighbors’ lives lived out in front of her because most of their daily work was done outside the four walls of their home. They cooked, washed their clothes and dishes out in their yards, and they would have word wars which would erupt into physical fights. 

So she started to pray for them, calling on Jesus and the Holy Spirit to transform their lives and relationships. The Holy Spirit moved and Kerry did not witness any more fights. We too should be confident when we pray. “You will have what you say,” Jesus promised in Mark 11:23. Let us be more bold in speaking God’s Word to transform our little corner of the world. When we confess God’s Word, His creative Spirit will work. He will speak through us.