We Hear in Our Own Languages

The Spirit Comes
Woven together in Love

Gift of Languages

Acts 2:8-13T  he Message

^5-11 There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run. Then when they heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were thunderstruck. They couldn’t for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, “Aren’t these all Galileans? How come we’re hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?

Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;
Visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia,
    Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
    Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene;
Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and proselytes;
Even Cretans and Arabs!

“They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works!”

¹² Their heads were spinning; they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: “What’s going on here?”
¹³ Others joked, “They’re drunk on cheap wine.”

 

For Reflection 

Indeed, what does this mean?  Two possibilities come to mind,  First, involves perception.  One gets from reading, listening, smelling, tasting and touching only what one brings to the task.  That is, what one understands from any experience is the result of the wealth of Information one brings to it.  (If all one sees are nails one brings a hammer.  If one sees nails and screws one brings a hammer and screwdriver.  Therefore, it would be wise to experience as many things as possible regarding your faith.  The more words you learn, the more experiences you have, the better you will become at understand your faith as it is understood and practiced.

Secondly each heard their own tongue proclaiming the gospel.  It doesn't matter what language you speak, God understands them all, God speaks them all. God is the God of the universe who is seeking to help you know and love God and his design for your life.

Pray

Pray in your own language, in your own words.  Pray about everything.  It doesn't matter how you pray.  It matters that you pray.  Prayer changes you and you change the world, one loving act at a time.