Author and pastor Max Lucado recently shared his journey to understand more about the person of the Holy Spirit. Along the way, he not only grew in his relationship with God, but he also received a gift from the Holy Spirit—his prayer language.
“A significant gift came my way,” Lucado said. “When I was 64 on a July morning, as I was praying, I began praying in tongues.”
In an interview with Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast, Lucado explained how he had earnestly been seeking God for a few weeks, asking if there was anything He wanted to give him.
“I had not done anything different except I came across the passage where the apostle Paul said ‘eagerly desire the spiritual gifts’…I guess I thought ‘Oh, I had all the gifts that I was supposed to have given to me when I became a Christian. Well, maybe so, maybe.’ But he says eagerly desire the spiritual gifts. I said, ‘Lord, is there any other gift you desire for me?’ And I prayed that every morning for two or three weeks, and then one morning early in the morning I began praying in a heavenly language.”
This was a new experience for Lucado who had been under the teaching that praying in tongues had ceased. However, it is now something he cherishes as he spends time praying in his prayer language on a daily basis.
Lucado shares this new information about his personal walk with God following the release of his book, “Help is Here,” which focuses on the person of the Holy Spirit.
In a question-and-answer session on the Holy Spirit, Lucado used Scripture to explain the difference between speaking in tongues to spread the gospel and using it for prayer. He also encouraged believers to seek all that God has for them through personally encountering the Holy Spirit.
“The church is the supernatural expression of God on the planet,” Lucado said. “So, I encourage us, let’s welcome this mysterious work of heaven in the church. I’ve been a pastor in one form or the other since 1979. That’s a long time. In all these decades of ministry have left me convinced that we do not have what it takes to heal this hurting world. We don’t have it. We might create programs, we might train staff, we might build beautiful sanctuaries, but I tell you what, I’d gladly exchange them all for one raindrop of supernatural help from the Spirit of heaven.”
Lucado shared with ChurchLeaders that his journey to grow closer to the Holy Spirit began way before he ever started praying in tongues. His first experience was during the Jesus Movement as a teenager when an evangelist from California came to his hometown preaching at in his school’s parking lot and in Bible study groups, offering for listeners to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
“For the very first time in my whole life I was taught about the Holy Spirit. And I remember having such an interest, such a fascination. I was invited even to receive the gift of praying in tongues,” Lucado said.
It is this supernatural power provided only through the Holy Spirit that Lucado believes the church is in dire need of—whether they know it or not.
“I think in order for us to see revival there needs to be a reunion, a coming together,” Lucado said.
“We need to remind the church we are a supernatural people,” Lucado shared. “We are a people who believes in an unseen God, and so we make that announcement. And then, I think we help people understand the personality of the Spirit.”
This power of the Holy Spirit that has come vibrantly alive in Lucado’s life is being outpoured across the nation and the world right now. As the Asbury revival was witnessed by thousands of people who flocked to see what God was doing there, the move of the Holy Spirit has reached to cities all across the nation now. The Jesus Revolution movie is also making a monumental impact at the box office as a new generation is seeing how the Holy Spirit worked in miraculous ways during the Jesus Movement—the same movement that first taught Max Lucado who the person of the Holy Spirit is. It’s evident that God is urging His people to grow in relationship with Him. Let’s see what the Holy Spirit has in store next.
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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator and Staff Writer intern for Charisma Media.
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