Where was the Holy Spirit?

The three men I admire most;
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost;
They took the last train for the coast;
The day the music died.

-- Don MacLean, American Pie (1971)

In the 1990s there was a particular General Assembly where things seemed to go pretty much the way the one faction wanted, and one of the leaders was quoted as saying that the Holy Spirit had moved through this assembly.

I remember how appalled I was to hear that. Is the Holy Spirit to be found on the prevailing side?

A year or so later another faction narrowly won a key vote, and an opposing voice was quoted as saying that the Holy Spirit had not spoken clearly. Is the Holy Spirit found in the vote tallies?

In this year of so many people (and I see it on all sides) claiming prophetic voice, I am as disturbed as I was ten or more years ago. Prophetic voices are not self-identified, nor are they identified by their partisans. An implied "Thus saith the Lord" doesn't necessarily make it so.

You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. -- Exodus 20:7

Where was the Holy Spirit? Right there in the midst of it all, speaking in a still, small voice. And the Holy Spirit is with all Christians in every time and place.

The question is not whether the Holy Spirit speaks clearly, but whether people listen. A still, small voice may be hard to hear during the earthquake, wind, and fire of General Assembly. (I have already expressed the opinion that the PC(USA) is not undergoing a tectonic shift, but there certainly was a lot of wind and fire). But I have faith and hope that some listened.

"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." -- Abraham Lincoln

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