Is God moving?
Not like moving away to a new location exactly,
but coming closer to us,
touching us with a new awareness of our need for Him?
In the last few weeks I heard of several instances where people,
who at one time had pretty much ignored God,
are now reaching out for Him, seeking Him,
giving Him a chance to interact with them.
Some are experimental in their approach,
waiting to see what will happen by a certain time before deciding
whether they’ll continue in their pursuit.
Others who used to depend on themselves to prosper
have been humbled by their inability to "make things happen.”
Perhaps they cried out to God.
(If you don’t know the importance of that action,
check out the 4-26-2012 blog, "Have You Reached the End of Your Rope?" )
I don’t know exactly how it happened with them,
but when doors that had been firmly stuck swung open,
they saw this shift as the clear intervention of God on their behalf.
In response, they’ve begun setting aside time each week to honor God,
to give Him the homage they now believe is His due
Maybe they’re reaching out in other ways as well; I don’t know.
How does this story from real life affect you?
I feel a stir of excitement
--like Hannah did in Hannah’s Promise and the sequel, Joel’s Wife--
when she saw the hearts of the people of Israel change.
They’d ignored God,
certain they had better ways of getting what they wanted from life.
Then devastation brought them to their knees,
and there on their knees before God,
they were overwhelmed with an awareness of the awesomeness of God.
They realized, in a very deep way, just how much they needed Him.
Witnessing this same reaction in modern USA is especially impressive to me.
These Americans I told you about chose to search for God in the church,
but I doubt theirs was a“religious” response.
They need more than the teaching and rituals of the church.
The whole world, as they know it, is shaking.
The things they depended on no longer work.
To survive, they need a vital connection with God Himself.
But they aren’t approaching Him, as so many have done in recent years,
demanding what they feel is their right,
what they think God owes them.
Instead, they’re bowed with shame for the way they’ve shunned God,
treated Him as insignificant,
denied Him the gratitude He deserved
for the unearned blessings He lavished on them.
What about us?
Have we already felt God moving?
If not, let’s examine our hearts.
Do we want an encounter with Him
for the first time, or again?
Are we, too, ready to bow?
If we still feel a stubborn independence inside,
are we willing to ask God to change us
so that we, too, can seek Him more earnestly?
“Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.” Hebrews 3:15
Do you have something on your heart you want to share?
Respond by pressing the COMMENT tab to the right of the title.
Not like moving away to a new location exactly,
but coming closer to us,
touching us with a new awareness of our need for Him?
In the last few weeks I heard of several instances where people,
who at one time had pretty much ignored God,
are now reaching out for Him, seeking Him,
giving Him a chance to interact with them.
Some are experimental in their approach,
waiting to see what will happen by a certain time before deciding
whether they’ll continue in their pursuit.
Others who used to depend on themselves to prosper
have been humbled by their inability to "make things happen.”
Perhaps they cried out to God.
(If you don’t know the importance of that action,
check out the 4-26-2012 blog, "Have You Reached the End of Your Rope?" )
I don’t know exactly how it happened with them,
but when doors that had been firmly stuck swung open,
they saw this shift as the clear intervention of God on their behalf.
In response, they’ve begun setting aside time each week to honor God,
to give Him the homage they now believe is His due
Maybe they’re reaching out in other ways as well; I don’t know.
How does this story from real life affect you?
I feel a stir of excitement
--like Hannah did in Hannah’s Promise and the sequel, Joel’s Wife--
when she saw the hearts of the people of Israel change.
They’d ignored God,
certain they had better ways of getting what they wanted from life.
Then devastation brought them to their knees,
and there on their knees before God,
they were overwhelmed with an awareness of the awesomeness of God.
They realized, in a very deep way, just how much they needed Him.
Witnessing this same reaction in modern USA is especially impressive to me.
These Americans I told you about chose to search for God in the church,
but I doubt theirs was a“religious” response.
They need more than the teaching and rituals of the church.
The whole world, as they know it, is shaking.
The things they depended on no longer work.
To survive, they need a vital connection with God Himself.
But they aren’t approaching Him, as so many have done in recent years,
demanding what they feel is their right,
what they think God owes them.
Instead, they’re bowed with shame for the way they’ve shunned God,
treated Him as insignificant,
denied Him the gratitude He deserved
for the unearned blessings He lavished on them.
What about us?
Have we already felt God moving?
If not, let’s examine our hearts.
Do we want an encounter with Him
for the first time, or again?
Are we, too, ready to bow?
If we still feel a stubborn independence inside,
are we willing to ask God to change us
so that we, too, can seek Him more earnestly?
“Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.” Hebrews 3:15
Do you have something on your heart you want to share?
Respond by pressing the COMMENT tab to the right of the title.
