More Than a Feeling

Coming from a Pentecostal and charismatic background, I've learned that there is a spiritual realm as well as a physical realm. I know this is true not simply because it was drilled into me my entire life, but because I've experienced the works of God and have seen the Spirit move. But these types of churches, Pentecostal especially, place a large amount of emphasis on the Holy Spirit. The interesting thing is that we as humans treat the spiritual realm like it's the physical realm.

We're experts in the physical realm. Science has unlocked many of the secrets that God has laid into this world we live in. We know that if you push hard enough on an object, the object will move. We know that you have to talk louder for someone to hear you if you're in a noisy environment. We also know that you feel it when someone touches you. The problem is that we try to incorporate these physical ideas into our spiritual lives.

When we pray, we must pray long and loudly. We somehow believe that if we pray loudly, God will hear us better. When praying for someone to be healed, we think that we must be passionate about it. And so we must push them and press on their bodies hard with our hands while shouting in their ears for them to be healed in the name of Jesus. When the Spirit moves on Sunday mornings, we must stay there praying and praising until everyone feels the Spirit and speaks in tongues.

I've experienced all of these instances firsthand, and I believe that however good the intentions of these types of Christians are, they are wrong in their approach. I can't tell you how many times the Spirit has moved on church congregations and has people speaking in tongues and dancing and throwing their hands in the air, and I feel absolutely nothing and wonder what I did wrong. I've prayed for people that have fallen to the floor by the power of God with a simple touch, and then prayed all night for one guy because he hadn't fallen. People have prayed for me, gripping my arms and shouting at me, and I've felt nothing. People have also prayed for me in a gentle manner, and the Spirit of God sank straight into my soul and touched me in ways that brought me to tears.

People look for God to stir hearts and feelings. Some Christians think that they haven't really experienced God until they have felt Him or heard His voice. I've met Christians that have such a heart for people in need and are so empathetic toward them, that they cannot control themselves. But the power of God is more than a feeling. He is constantly working on us, continuously speaking to us in our daily lives. Just because you spoke in tongues one day and not on the second doesn't mean you're any less of a Christian that second day, it just means that the Spirit had other plans for that day.

Maybe sometimes, in a world of noise and confusion, God is looking for a meek voice to cry out to Him. Maybe sometimes we should look for a quiet voice from God.