Jesus said, ‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ (John 13:35) He also said, ‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ (Acts 1:8) We need both love and power to show God to the world.

The prayer topic for May, the month when we celebrate Pentecost, is for God’s love and power to be seen in and through us. Let’s pray:

  • for each of us to be filled with the Holy Spirit
  • that we will use the gifts of the Holy Spirit to build up the church
  • that there will be signs and wonders (Rom 15:19, 1 Cor 2:4)
  • that we will be powerful witnesses to all God has done and is doing in and through us, understanding that the same power which raised Christ from the grave lives in us. (Eph 1:19-20)

This last verse seems to be featuring everywhere I look! A number of songs recently released focus our attention on this and it is important that we grasp something of the fact that this is God’s power, not ours. It is awesome and mighty, but even more amazing in some ways is the fact that He chooses to allow His power to rest on us, working through our mortal bodies, these ‘jars of clay.’ God’s grace and power are beyond understanding, but we are so grateful for all God does.

As we pray, let’s listen to these songs and understand afresh that ‘The same power that rolled the stone away’ is ‘alive in us today.’ (‘Shout Hosanna’, Kristian Stanfill). Jeremy Camp’s song ‘Same Power‘ says:

‘The same power that rose Jesus from the grave
The same power that commands the dead to wake
Lives in us, lives in us
The same power that moves mountains when He speaks
The same power that can calm a raging sea
Lives in us, lives in us
He lives in us, lives in us.’

Ben Cantelon’s song ‘The Same Power’ says ‘Mighty Saviour, lifted high, King forever, Jesus Christ, crowned in glory, raised to life: the same power lives in us.’ We need not fear, for it is Christ who lives through us!