“And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:2).

This is the time when the Holy Spirit was first poured out on Christians. It was an electric moment filled with mystical and awe-inspiring experiences. Since then, many Christians have been trying to find ways to have the same kind of hair-raising experiences with the Spirit. Google “Holy Ghost Hokey Pokey” sometime. Wait, on second thought, don’t.

Because the word at the beginning of the verse tells us something really significant. Suddenly. That word tells us that there’s not any magic formula to get the Spirit to come. There are no special words you have to say, or actions you have to take. You can’t claim a miracle, or call down his blessing. He’s not a waiter at Chili’s – he doesn’t take orders from you. He’s on his own schedule. He arrives when he arrives. … And when he arrives, it’s almost always suddenly.

The only thing we know the early Christians were doing when the Spirit came was something very simple: they were waiting and praying. “With one accord they were devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:18). That’s it! Just praying. But not the 2-minute prayers we give on our way out the door in the morning; they were devoting themselves to prayer. If you want to see the Spirit work, devoting yourself to prayer is always a good idea.

In 1857 there was a guy in New York who devoted himself to prayer. A quiet, shy businessman named Jeremiah Lanphier. He decided to start a weekly lunchtime prayer meeting for business people in the city. He put up notices and invited a few acquaintances to join him.

When the first meeting started, he was the only one there. He prayed anyway.
Then, at the end of the hour, 6 people suddenly showed up. The next week, 20 people came. The week after that, 40.
They decided to meet daily, and the group grew to 100. Within 6 months there were 10,000 people meeting in New York City alone.

Visiting businessmen were so impressed that they decided to start their own groups in cities across the country. Just to pray. Historians now say that was the beginning of the Great Awakening in America, where more than 2 million people put their trust in Christ in just 2 years. This was when the total population of America was only 30 million!

And it all started with one average guy who felt the Lord leading him to pray.
He just prayed, and waited, and prayed, and the Spirit showed up. Suddenly showed up.

Do you want to see the power of the Spirit in your life, family, and church. Waiting and praying will never be a bad idea.