I’m sure most parents and teachers can attest to the fact that sometimes kids say they will do something, and then (surprise, surprise) it never happens. For example, when my daughter pulls out every blanket and pillow in the house to make an epic fort, I remind her that she is going to have to return all of those items to where they belong. She assures me that this will, in fact, happen. It turns out making a mess is a lot easier than cleaning up. I cannot tell you how many blankets I have folded and how many pillows I have put back on beds and couches.
To be fair, this is not just a kid problem. There are plenty of times when I do not follow through on my promises: a field trip form isn’t signed on time, being late for practice, forgetting their favorite cereal at the store, and many, MANY more. I try my best to not let them down, but I don’t always carry out what I say I will do.
Jesus tells a parable in the book of Matthew about two sons who are told by their father to go work in the vineyard. One says he will not do it, but he ends up changing his mind and doing what his father asked. The other one says he will go, but he does not follow through. Jesus uses this parable to demonstrate that the people who are saying all the “right” things are not necessarily the ones who are following God.
We value faithfulness, but unfortunately, our words and actions do not always align. We may have the best intentions, but reality is, our words are not a guarantee.
God, however, is the opposite: He is faithful without fail. His word is action. So when Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit after he has risen from the dead, it is as good as done! Did the disciples have to wait for a bit? Yes. Did they doubt that Jesus’s promise would actually happen? Probably. Did they know exactly how it would look when it occurred? Definitely not.
That’s the tricky thing about trusting God. We know that he will do what he says and will never ever fail in carrying out his promises. This is comforting. The scary part is not knowing what exactly that will look like. The disciples had NO idea they would be able to understand all of the languages present on that first Pentecost. Nor could they have ever imagined flaming tongues (I still can’t picture it) above their heads. Although it probably wasn’t what they had pictured when they thought about the Holy Spirit coming, I’m willing to bet it was a million times better and more exciting (and maybe even more real?) than they ever hoped!
The Last Battle, the concluding book of the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis, has a description of the new Narnia (kind of like the new heavens and new earth that will come to us one day). The characters in the book are running and running and running, shouting delightedly, “Further up and further in!” And yet their legs do not grow tired. I love this image. In this tired body of mine, my wildest imagination cannot fathom not getting tired while running up a hill. But we can be certain that God’s FAITHFULNESS never fails, even if we can’t picture it. He promised to rescue us from sin and death, and he did it. He promised to rise again, and he did. He promised to send the Comforter, and he has. That same Comforter who arrived on that first Pentecost is still present with us at all times.
