“But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me;”
John 15:26 (RSV)
The Holy Spirit is so eager to bear witness to Christ, that He will literally change the topic of our conversations in order to bear witness to Him. Once in a while I used to pray, asking Him to make His presence known to everyone in a room with me, during my work day.
If and when I remembered to pray this way before I start my day, He never fails to step into the conversation, turning it around, to center it on Jesus. The great commission, where Jesus told believers to preach the gospel to every creature, is not a weight of responsibility on our shoulders, but more about listening for our cue to say a few simple words at the right time. Bearing witness to Jesus is the Holy Spirit’s job. It’s His area of expertise, and I’ve seen how He takes over many conversations, if I just listen for my cue. If we speak when it’s our cue, the rest is in His divine hands.
If I’ve learned anything over the years in every job I’ve ever had, it’s that the HoIy Spirit is very eager to bear witness to Jesus. He is so eager that I can remember the few times and the most uncanny ways, that the Holy Spirit took over conversations, and Jesus suddenly became the topic. One week, a coworker was talking about aging and dying, and she then spontaneously said, “ I don’t want to die.” When I heard that, something sparked within me, that it was my cue. I said “No one wants to die, but dying is where we can meet Jesus face to face.” Her childlike statement “I don’t want to die” was the work of the Holy Spirit, and He steered that conversation. There was a seed to be planted, and praying for her will be the watering of the seed.
One time a conversation strangely evolved into one about God and forgiveness. I wish I could recall how it even began, but someone was adamantly giving their opinion that mass murderers and tyrants should never be forgiven and can never, ever go to heaven. I sensed my cue again and could only think of one thing to say. In a gentle way, I simply said, “but Jesus forgave His murderers from the cross.”
Though they didn’t accept my answer, it left them with an image of Jesus on a cross, forgiving the worst of men. What a blessing to have a segway to present that image to people in the middle of a work day. I am filled with awe at how the Holy Spirit enters into a conversation. God’s truth, when presented in kindness, will always accomplish something. We can plant seeds or water them, but only God causes the growth.
The Holy Spirit is trying to reveal God’s mercy to all people every day, especially when He is invited into our day. God’s mercy is too great for us to fully comprehend, and people put their own limitations on how far His grace and forgiveness will go, but it’s better to be at the mercy of God than at the mercy of men.
By asking Him to come into our day and make His presence know to others, He will not disappoint, and it’s a powerful prayer. When He is invited, He stirs hearts and gives us the right words to say.
Lord, help us to invite you into each day so that we may listen for our cue as you direct the topic of conversations and use our words to draw others to you. Amen