In researching the fire of the Holy Spirit, I came across Dr. Michael Brown’s book, Whatever Happened to the Power of God. Below is a short excerpt along with some thoughts of mine and some relevant Scriptures from God’s Word.
Sarah Anne Cooke, a Free Methodist, felt burdened to pray that the Lord would give evangelist DL Moody the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. Sarah and her friend Mrs. Hawxhurst, who was a widow, sat in the front row of Dwight’s church and, while he preached, they prayed. After the service they would say, “We have been praying for you.” Enervated, Dwight replied, “Why don’t you pray for the people?” The ladies replied, “Because you need the power of the Spirit.”
Unexpectedly, a great hunger began to form in Dwight’s soul. He later said48: “I didn’t know what it was and I started screaming like never before. I really felt like I didn’t want to live if I couldn’t have this power for service.”
But power would not come, mainly because Dwight refused to listen to the call to “go out into all the land.” Ms. Cooke said: “Mr. Moody’s agony was so great that he rolled on the ground and amid many tears and groans he cried out to God to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Dwight’s inner struggle refused to be resolved. He was so determined to stay in Chicago despite God’s repeated voice whispering to his spirit, “Go out and preach the Gospel throughout the land.”
The cry from Dwight’s heart was that God would fill him with the Holy Spirit. That desire continued to overwhelm him and rule over everyone else. After the great Chicago fire, during which Moody’s church burned, almost all of the chains holding it to Chicago were broken. The remaining chain was his own will. His unwavering will was the cause of his inner turmoil, which continued unabated. Yet he longed for the power of God. Moody was struggling, gasping for a Pentecost.
When Moody reached the end of himself and surrendered his will to God’s will, the last chain was broken. Immediately, an overwhelming sense of God’s presence flooded his soul. Almighty God had come to him. Without wasting a moment, Dwight locked himself in the room of a close friend so he could be alone with God. The room seemed to burn with God. He stretched out on the ground and lay bathing his soul in the Divine. Of this mountaintop fellowship and experience, Moody later wrote, “I can only say that God revealed Himself to me, and I had such an experience of His love that I had to ask Him to stop His hand.”
Dwight’s will and determination suddenly came under new direction when God reshaped him and left him as soft and cuddly as a baby. He would no longer choose his path. It is up to God to do that. Fortunately, Dwight thought, he was tossing and carrying water all the time. But now I have a river that carries me.
Rivers of the Holy Spirit must flow from the belly of every believer in Christ (John 7: 37-39). The Holy Spirit is freely given by the Father in heaven to whoever asks for this blessed Person within the Holy Trinity (Luke 11:13). It is not by army, nor by force, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 4: 6).
