Praying for the Holy Spirit

NCF Office – June 3, 2025 5 Comments

“Be your real self in a real relationship with a real, living God.” – is what Sharon Chubbuck heard at communion as she prayed for more of the Holy Spirit. May her reflection encourage us to pray for more of that “realness” in our individual lives and fellowship. –Pastor Renée 

Next Sunday is Pentecost when Christians celebrate the Holy Spirit falling on Jesus’ disciples after his Ascension. They were together in Jerusalem. This day was the Jewish Feast of Harvest, and devout Jews from “every nation and language” gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate. Jesus’ followers were also gathered, waiting for what the Father had promised, as Jesus had instructed them to do.

Suddenly a fierce, howling wind rushed through the house and individual flames of fire seemed to hover over each of their heads. God was with Jesus, filling Jesus, and now God was joining with these followers, filling them up. And as the Holy Spirit of God fell on them, they started speaking in other languages. The devout Jews were astonished to understand these Galileans speaking their native languages. Peter then preached the story of Jesus, and 3000 people joined the community following Jesus.

Pretty dramatic! A supernatural display of power, miraculously enhanced communication, and a startling harvest of the first fruit of believers.

I believe the Holy Spirit of God is with us, and I’ve seen the Spirit work in me, but nothing as dramatic as this. And to be honest, I don’t always feel the presence of God’s spirit very much and that bothers me. So, every day for the last 6 months, I’ve been asking the Holy Spirit to come and be with my two children and their spouses and with Judson and me. A short, undramatic, but regular prayer.

A little context is needed for the rest of my story. During my many years teaching at Marquette University, I heard my Catholic friends and spiritual directors talk about Jesus being literally, physically present in the bread and wine. And while I do believe Jesus is with us in a unique way during communion, this is a confusing theological mystery that I struggle to understand. As a result, for years, when I am at the communion table, I think about how I need a real, living Jesus in my life, not a better theological idea. And as I eat the bread and take the cup, I pray “Jesus, I need you to be real in my life. I need you to be real.”

A few weeks ago, as I said that prayer during communion, a thought sliced right through my mind, turning my thinking upside down. I believe I heard the Holy Spirit say, “And I need you to be real, too, Sharon.” It wasn’t dramatic, but it was startling enough for me think God was the source.

In the days since then, I’ve thought about what being more real with God would look like. A lot of things sprang up in my mind. To choose to forgive myself and others sooner and more deeply. To commit to speak the truth when life is frightening and upsetting. To be grateful for the small drops of grace in life, even as I wish I could change the world more dramatically.

And as I continued to ponder these things, I realized something deeper, more foundational: For me to be real, I need to fully and authentically engage, not with an idea about God but with a real living Jesus. I need to look for and find God in all of life, however messy. I need to—no, I get to welcome the Holy Spirit into every part of me—emotional, physical, intellectual, spiritual. That is where Jesus will be real for me.

I had been praying for the Holy Spirit and God whispered to me, “Be your real self in a real relationship with a real, living God.” I don’t know what will be whispered to you or what may be shouted in tongues, but I hope we can all pray and expectantly wait for God’s Spirit to fall on us and our fellowship. -Sharon Chubbuck