Contributed by Wendy ML Tan • Nov 14, 2023
As a Cell Leader, I would usually step up to pray during ministry time as Celebrations end, if there is a need to. On Saturday, many people went up to the front to be prayed for but I just stayed where I was, looking to my left and to my right. Eventually, I stood as a catcher, behind a lady who was being prayed for. I whispered under my breath, “God, what should I write about?” I had been anticipating for some drama to happen, hoping that someone would weep aloud or break out in a new song. I waited to hear if there would be distinct murmurings of different tongues but none of these happened in clear sight. As the crowd dispersed and the benediction was pronounced, I sat down in silence and closed my eyes. The music lingered in the background. Then, I heard the Holy Spirit saying to me, “It doesn’t always have to be in the BIG things, it can also be in the small ordinary, everyday things.” I opened my eyes and wiped the little tears off my eyes. He is right. Even in answering me that very evening, on that front row seat, the Holy Spirit has once again moved my heart.
In fact, I have been wondering for days on what to write for this reflection piece. I was trying to recall the time when I first spoke in tongues. Back and forth in my thoughts, I figured I could only write a short paragraph on my experience. Here it is:
There was an altar call in my previous church for anyone who had wanted to receive the gift of tongues. Prompted by my friends, I went up to the front, not knowing what to expect. To hide from being silly, I tried to open my mouth and imitate the pastor who was praying at the front. I thought I did receive the gift. Over the years, I would try to speak (actually it was more like mumbling) in a foreign unknown language. It was uncomfortable and unnatural, and I eventually stopped doing it. Then, fast forward to many years down the road (maybe a decade or two), as I heard the constant encouragement to speak, pray or sing in tongues here in DUMC, I began to muster up my courage to do so, and the more I learn how to, the more at ease I have become in using the special language that God has gifted me with. Sometimes, I’ll switch from praying in English to praying in tongues, quicker than a snap of my fingers. It is my language with my best friend, the Holy Spirit.
However, the Holy Spirit doesn’t just stop at the gifting of tongues. I learned that we can ask Him for any other spiritual gifts that our hearts desire. In attending Ministry 201 (The Heart of Christian Service), I discovered some of the spiritual gifts that I was lacking in, so I asked the Holy Spirit for them.
I asked Him for the gift of encouragement because I myself have been on the receiving end of much encouragement from my friends who helped me up when I once hit rock-bottom and God granted me the opportunities to grow in that area. While it was odd at first, at least to me, now I would make it a point to cheer my friends who are feeling sad or down. Sometimes words fail me or when I am still too shy to pray aloud, a hug will do. Or a sticky note with a smiling emoji. Or a short DM / PM to tell them that things will be better and that God is in control and will be watching over them.
I asked Him for the gift of hospitality because I knew that I wouldn’t have much of an opportunity to practise it at my own home. My mama does not fancy having many visitors over at the house because even the thought of cleaning up the place before and after the cell meetings is already tiring. Well, I picked up the spiritual gift as I began to attend Cell Group at my now spiritual parents’ home. My cell members and I would all take turns to clean up after supper, or put the cushions and tables back in place before we leave. We learned to welcome visitors with gladness and engage with our guests at Christmas parties or during our occasional picnics and ‘chill’ outings. Today, though I am not an usher nor a connector, people (who do not really know me) mistake me as an extrovert. Sparking a new conversation with strangers is not difficult at all. Approaching the patient at the hospital bed next to my friend’s is doable with the Holy Spirit’s help.
Ask and you will receive. So, go on and keep on asking the Holy Spirit for spiritual gifts. It starts with you wanting and desiring those gifts. Don’t know what spiritual gifts are available? Look them up in Bible verses such as 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, Ephesians 4:7-13, Isaiah 11:2-3 and Romans 12:3-8. There are so many different types to choose from!
Ah! As I end this reflection piece, the Holy Spirit is rubbing it into me, a gift that He has long given me, but I have refused time and time again to use it. Why? Perhaps I am a little afraid. It sets my heart to fear and tremble at the thought of using it, but it always appears at the Top 3 of any spiritual tests that I have done in different seasons of my life. It is in my DNA. Perhaps someday, I will reveal what that gift is.