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Historically, the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles did not take place until after they had spent some days in a prayerful reflection in the upper room in obedience to Jesus' instruction:
"stay in the city then until you are clothed with the power from on high. "
Indeed, God does not force himself upon his creatures hence this 'retreat' involving prayers, reflection on the word of God and celebrating of the sacraments. This was necessary as it helped the apostles
recognize their own inadequacy for their mission. This opportunity to pray together was also very as it afforded the apostles time for personal reflections, and made them realize the need for praying
earnestly for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and to assist them in opening themselves more completely to the Holy Spirit. Also, the need for constant periods Of prayer in the life Of Christians cannot be over emphasized because it is a period where people are led through conversion to commitment and On into contemplation. The Holy can be encountered either through individual prayer or a group praying
It is true that at our baptism, we all received the Holy Spirit, but usually we are not conscious Of the actions of this Holy Spirit until we open ourselves and encounter him through prayer and an adequate
disposition. In Other words, if we had infant baptism, when we grow to adulthood, we need to say 'yes' personally to our baptismal promises that our parents made on our behalf when we were young. By so
doing, we make those promises 'ours' and are responsible for our actions thereafter. This 'yes' can only be said after a prayerful reflection on the baptismal promises, which can only be done under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
At prayer meetings, our expectation of encountering the Holy Spirit shall be in line with the promise of Christ:
"Where two or three of you gather together in my name, there I am in your midst. " (Mt 18:20).
At such prayer meetings, people gather with strong faith and good intentions to pray and they quickly develop a sense of fellowship and communion amongst them. The faith that inspires prayer meetings
does not make them lugubrious, rather they are filled with joy and gaiety, and people feel happy and readily amuse one another. Even people who ordinarily dislike social meetings and gatherings find out
that, they can attend prayer meetings without weariness. This is one of the reasons why prayer meetings should be encouraged among Christians. Indeed, it is the Spirit of peace, joy and communion and the almost palpable sense of the presence of God that pervade prayer meetings. It is in such an atmosphere that the Spirit is easily and specially received. Usually, towards the end of each meeting in the Charismatic Renewal Movement, people are invited to a private place and prayed over and, in most cases; the Holy Spirit is encountered in a special way.
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We have to note that the Christian life is as God intended it to be lived and is not merely a matter of doing religious things or following a set of rules. Rather, it is a personal relationship with the Trinity made possible through Jesus Christ. If this relationship is to grow, apart from the official liturgical celebrations in the Church, we need to spend time in communication with God through prayer. This will afford us an opportunity to encounter him personally.
Communication is in two ways during prayer, we listen to God in his word, as we shall see later and we talk to him as we spend time with him while doing the listening. Each time we communicate with God in
prayer, we are encountering him because he has made it possible for us to communicate with him. Many Christians find it difficult to become recollected and to pray and, like the apostles, they should not be afraid to ask God to teach them how to pray. In prayer, we worship, adore and praise God whilst giving him thanks for his love. Prayer does not only give us the necessary disposition towards receiving the Holy Spirit, it also enables us work towards receiving him. If we pray especially to God for an opportunity to encounter the Holy Spirit, he will surely give us the grace to do that, because, God always and quickly too, answers such prayers.
