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- The Sound of the Saints
Happy Eastertide! The season between Easter and Pentecost mirrors the stories in the Book of Acts between the Resurrection and the Coming of the Holy Spirit, where Jesus proves himself alive to the disciples, teaches about the kingdom of God, and invites his disciples to wait for the Promise of the Father (Acts 1:3-5). To honor this season of preparation as well as the diversity of the Pentecost moment (many nations hear the disciples speaking in their own tongue!), we have invited a few friends to share their thoughts on this season with us the next few weeks to help frame our prayer lives around these topics. We’d love to introduce you to some thoughts from our friend Maya today!
Open your ears church
Do you hear it?
It is your father’s voice
He speaks much, but we listen little
Can you hear his melodies?
See his sound
Let me paint a picture for you saints
This sound like Sunday afternoon
Final altar call, second coming type praise
Like Holy Spirit filled room
Like mama’s church hat
Turned sideways
Feel like church fan, feel like glass window
Sound like big, bold choir
Feel like God
This feel like fever shut up in bones
Making bodies shake and mouths be bold
This sound like I cannot be still anymore
Sound like I cannot be quiet anymore
Sounds like microphone to heaven
Feel like scripture on bare skin
Feel like unashamed
Feel like what is fear?
I don’t feel that anymore
Feel like nerve, feel bold
Like God speaking
I grew up going to church. My mother was in the choir. My friends and I were in youth ministry. We played M*A*S*H in the back pews, chased each other in the lobby, and got baptized behind the pulpit. Stained glass windows were the backdrop of my childhood. Our church was very traditional in view. I tore my stockings most Sundays, wore frilly socks, fluffy dresses, and short heels. Looking back, I appreciate the beauty that was put into the sanctuary. We beheld something every Sunday before the music began or a mic was turned on. An awe was present in the building alone. Yet, it didn’t stay quiet for long. We created a symphony in that church. Some songs were rehearsed, others spontaneous. I would hear the flap of a church fan, the ringing of a tambourine, a ‘hallelujah’, ‘amen’, ‘thank you Jesus’, an organ chord, a harmony of voices. All of it working in a way that could be nothing but holy. Above our building was a steeple and beneath that - a church bell. It would ring on the hour. I had many daydreams about climbing to the top of our church and ringing the bell myself, just to hear the sound up close.
On the day of Pentecost, there was a sound too.
“When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them”.
I think about the church services I attended as a child and now the ones I take my children to. The phrase in verse one resonates with me:
They were all together in one place.
”They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”
The phrasing here is so important - continually united in prayer. This implies that the early church was making a practice of gathering to intercede. Imagine the disciples - shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, petitioning heaven together. There may have been fear in that upper room, perhaps even some doubt. Yet, they continued to come together. Unceasing prayer and unity are breeding grounds for the Holy Spirit’s work. This rhythm was interrupted one day by the person they had been waiting for. The Spirit of God enters into this prayer meeting and lights it on fire. As Jesus promised, there was a baptism of fire happening in that room. The fire that filled that room could not be contained. So much so that the prayer meeting sent up a smoke signal.
“When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded and amazed, saying, ‘Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language?’ Parthians, Medes, Elamites; those who live in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts), Cretans and Arabs — we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.”
The miracle in this moment is not only that people are speaking in languages that they do not know, it is that they are speaking of supernatural works by a supernatural force - God. This is testimony in every tongue. The sound of Pentecost is the declaration of God’s good work to all the nations - exactly as Jesus said it would be.
“'Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”'
Acts 2 tells us that many nations would hear the Gospel that day. Not only would they hear it but they would repent of their own ways and follow the truth.
“When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart;
So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.“'
When I think of the day of Pentecost, I think about a church bell. I think about how we all turn our heads as it rings. I think about those on the day of Pentecost that heard the voices of the people of God ringing out. I think about how they came and saw. I think about how what they heard changed their hearts.
When people hear the sounds of your prayers, of our gatherings - what will they hear? Will our testament cause them to turn their heads? Will they tune us out? Will they hear different voices praising and worshiping together? Will they hear the tapestry, the weaving of cultures underneath Christ’s banner? Will they hear of all the good things God has done? Will they hear the prophecies fulfilled? Will they hear the truth of the scriptures? Will what they hear bring them to their knees? Will it bring them to repentance? Will the sounds of our gatherings bring more people into the upper room?
This day of Pentecost had been prophesied hundreds of years before by the prophet Joel. In his words, Joel calls the people to repent. He calls the people to remember the sound of God’s voice.
“Even now — this is the Lord ’s declaration — turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster.”
God, help us to tune our sound today
Make our gatherings a joyful sound
To you and to your creation
Let our rejoicing lead to repentance
We don’t want to ring hollow anymore
Fill us with your Spirit
Amen
Maya Wilson is a poet, educator, and Bible teacher based in Atlanta, blending storytelling with spiritual insight to inspire and uplift. She’s the host of Teaology, a podcast exploring the intersection of faith and culture. Maya is happily married to her husband, Joshua, and is a proud mother of two beautiful daughters. You can find Maya’s work here.
P.S. We are so grateful for our team of monthly partners. Everyone who partners with us to see spiritual awakening through the creation of prayer resources will receive every printed resource we make in 2025 as a “thank you,” starting with a 30-day Hearing God’s Voice interactive journal. We’d love to invite you to join us!