“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
John 14:26
My dad’s secret place is in the mountains. A passion for hiking flows through his veins, and many times God speaks to him while he’s on a trail. He hiked Mount Olympus at twenty-seven years old. (No, not the one Homer wrote about in the Odyssey, just in case you were wondering.) It was while hiking down that mountain in Utah that he encountered God in a way that changed his life forever.
The quiet solitude that usually envelopes his hikes did not still his mind this time around. Instead, a Ping-Pong match of opinions feverishly ensued in his mind: Was the baptism of the Holy Spirit for today or not? Just a few days ago, his brother had prayed in tongues in front of him. But this went against everything he had been raised to believe in church.
The argument in his head continued for a few minutes. He focused his frustration into each step he made on the mountain. Rays of light pierced through the branches. Crushed blades of grass swirled in his wake as a gust of wind blew in from out of nowhere. All of a sudden, he started to feel different. Something stirred within him. Then, from deep inside, something bubbled up. An unspeakable joy overwhelmed him; he could not help but laugh, and a language he had never spoken spilled out of his mouth.
My dad does not skip. But he told me that he began to skip “like a little girl” down the trail that day. It reminds me of the lame man Peter healed in Acts 3:8: “And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.” To this day, my dad considers that one of his best hikes.
I am so thankful for an earthly father who is hungry for God. Dad, thank you for showing me how I can have a personal relationship with God.
Whether or not you have a dad in your life this Father’s Day, you do have a Father in heaven who loves you dearly. So, whether it means being alone in your room or taking a hike into the mountains, go to your secret place with Him today.
Happy Father’s Day!
Please leave a comment below if this blessed you. Also, be watching for The Present-Day Ministry of the Holy Spirit,Andrew’s newest teaching, which will begin airing on July 3.
