Consider the work of the Holy Spirit: Grants you the proper understanding of God’s good Law; Convicts your soul of not keeping God’s good standard; Opens your eyes to the truth of the Gospel — Jesus’ finished work on your behalf; Convinces your heart to respond in faith to Jesus as Savior and Lord; Resides within you, he communes in you, his sacred temple; Assists you in prayer; Illumines the Bible, instructs your mind, and makes you wise; Fruits you with righteousness; he conforms you into Christ’s image; Gifts you for success in ministry.

Do you value the Holy Spirit? David does. As an Old Covenant believer, he is one who has been regenerated by God; he has been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, as an Old Covenant prophet, he is one who has had the Holy Spirit fall upon him. How privileged he is to be so gloriously affected. Now, in his day of dark sin, deep regret, sincere repentance, and Gospel confession, David desperately pleads with his aggrieved Heavenly Father not to take this unfathomable blessing away. Hear King David scream in repentant anguish:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.     (Psalm 51:10-13)

Do you value the Holy Spirit? Jesus does. The time is quickly coming when he will be separated from his fellows. However, according to Jesus, this is to result in their improvement:

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.     (John 16:7-15)

And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.     (Luke 24:49)

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now … But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”     (Acts 4:1-5, 8)

Therefore, in eager expectation of the Wonderful Counselor valued and promised by Jesus, the disciples gather and pray. They hunger and thirst for a special outpouring of God’s Spirit:

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.     (Acts 1:12-14)

Do you value the Holy Spirit? Do you hunger and thirst for the Helper? Are you desperately waiting for the Wonderful Counselor? Consider his glorious work; the Holy Spirit:

• Grants you the proper understanding of God’s good Law
• Convicts your soul of not keeping God’s good standard
• Opens your eyes to the truth of the Gospel — Jesus’ finished work on your behalf
• Convinces your heart to respond in faith to Jesus as Savior and Lord
• Resides within you; he communes in you, his sacred temple
• Assists you in prayer
• Illumines the Bible, instructs your mind, and makes you wise
• Fruits you with righteousness; he conforms you into Christ’s image
• Gifts you for success in ministry

Christian brothers and sisters, you are already filled with his Spirit. You cannot have more. You cannot have less. All who have Christ have his Spirit. However, would you like to experience more of his spiritual blessings? Would you like to have more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control? Would you like to have more divine guidance? Would you like to have more ministerial power? Are you hungry for revival in yourself, your family, your church, your city, and your land? Then I have one more question for you: Will you gather and pray as did the first-century saints? Will you be found in the Sunday morning assembly? Will you meet in small groups in upper rooms throughout the city? Will you look forward to planned and spontaneous prayer meetings? Will you stop what you are doing, right now, and ask the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to shower you afresh?

Joseph A. Franks IV is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is Pastor of Palmetto Hills Presbyterian Church in Simpsonville, South Carolina.  This article first appeared on his blog, and is used with permission.