Joel 2:28-29 “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”

This is of course one of the more famous passages in the whole OT, having been quoted by Peter on the day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2. However, there’s an aspect to it that I think gets overlooked much of the time, and that is age and gender equality. It is disruptive enough to some social systems that both young and old are specifically mentioned as recipients of God’s Spirit, expressed through revelatory gifts, but it is absolutely revolutionary that both genders are mentioned on absolutely equal terms. That is, of course, an area where Islam is horrendously different, which should be another indication of who is following the true God. It is also important to notice that whereas the Spirit is given equally, the manifestations are different from group to group, and by inference, from individual to individual. Great damage has been done to churches and to individuals by demanding that people be the same. God’s grace is the same, but its manifestation is different, to some degree at least, for every human being. The point to be taken from this passage is to seek and expect God to pour His Spirit out on us, but not demand that it be done in a specific way, in us or in anyone else. We should desire and expect revelation from God, both to and through us and our brothers and sisters in Christ. That said, we need to be firmly grounded in the Scriptures as protection against the lying spirits that are constantly trying to deceive. However, we are not to be so afraid of deception that we close our minds and hearts to what God is saying to us.

This is intensely applicable, and personal, to me. I remember back in 1974 when I was seeking to be baptized/filled with the Holy Spirit, but was getting nowhere because I was insisting that I be given the gift of tongues as evidence. When I got it through my head that we are to trust God to be true to His Word without dictating how He’s to do that, I received beautifully, and months later was given the gift of tongues. Since then I have operated in every gift mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 at least once, and I think multiple times for each, but that has always been in God’s timing and direction. Over the years I have seen God act through some pretty surprising vessels at times, humanly speaking. We tend to evaluate whether a person is “worthy” of being used by God, but God is far more interested in availability. I need to walk personally in purity, humility, and obedience, but never think that I have “earned” being used by God. Nevertheless, I am to expect Him to use me, and I need to strive to help all the believers have that same expectation, so that we will be an effective army in His hands, tearing down the works of the enemy for God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder and encouragement. Help me follow through in obedience, because I know from experience how easily sidetracked I can be. I pray that I may be fully useful to You in opening the eyes and hearts of the believers to see and trust how much You want to pour through them, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!