Shaken and Filled

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

SHAKEN AND FILLED

Acts 4:31

31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

NIV

Would that God shake us up just a bit when we prayed. We do wonder why it was that God did that after they prayed. Was their prayer more fervent than our prayers? It doesn’t seem their words were any more special than the ones we us. Unless Luke did not record exactly the same words, or just gave a sample of their prayer. But that is unlikely, as his words are inspired by the same Holy Spirit that filled all those who were in that place that was shaken. It must be the intensity of their prayers. They wanted God to stretch out his hand and do mighty things to show the world his power. They wanted God to do miracles, signs and wonders, and healing. These are what are outside the limits of human abilities. Have we given up on God doing all this in our lives? Have we given in to God only working through the hands of men? We cannot do miracles, nor can we do signs and wonders. Mankind has, in some sense, developed through medical science some abilities to cure certain ailments and diseases, but is God or man given the credit for that? Are we even speaking the word of God boldly? Have we prayed that we would? Do we just pray out of routine because we think we should pray? Why don’t we expect the place where we gather together in prayer to be shaken and that the Holy Spirit fill us in such a way there will be so much evidence no one can deny His presence. Maybe even the surrounding ground will tremble and people we come out to see all the people pouring out of the church speaking boldly the word of God. This is what we desire, to be shaken and filled. Just as we might shake a jar to be able to get more flour into to it, they were shaken so they would be filled to overflowing with the Spirit.