But on this one will I look. On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.
Reading in a devotional book yesterday morning set me to thinking. The verse for the day was the Isaiah 66:2 passage, and the question that was asked, was "Do you tremble when God speaks? When was the last time you were physically affected by the reality that almighty God had spoken directly to you?"
This led me to ask, "Have I become so hard and calloused that the Word of God has no effect on me any longer? Have I become stiff-necked and hard that I do not respond when God speaks?" Has our generation and society lost all fear and reverence to God who has poured Himself out to secure our salvation? I pray that the answer is no, but I fear that we may have indeed lost something.
Lets take a look at what happened in Scripture when God spoke.
Rev. 1:17 John lost all physical strength when God spoke to him.
Acts 9:4 Paul fell to the ground when Christ met him on the road to Damascus.
Acts 7:32 Moses trembled when God spoke to him.
Luke 5:8 Peter, when he realized who Jesus was, "fell down at the feet of Him, crying out, 'Depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"
Do our meetings provide a place where the reality of who it is we have come to be with is as real as the Bible we carry? I'm not advocating that we need to whip up emotionalism....or manipulate people into responding a certain way in order to appear religious. I'm simply asking do we still have a clear understanding of WHO it is we are coming to meet with? That our focus should be to hear what is being taught, as the voice of God through the Holy Spirit in each believer should make the truth resonate inside of us. At the same time, the message, via the conviction of the Holy Spirit, should awaken the heart of those who are standing and living outside the will of God. But in both cases, we should be sensitive to God speaking to us.
Saturday night at ReCovery Church was a time of joy....a time of reflection to remember the price that was paid so that we might have life with Christ. A time to give a big old "Thank You, Lord!" For sustaining us and growing us over the past year.
Such times are needed, but I don't want to soothe places in our hearts by never allowing God to speak through His word to us. I don't want to excuse people from never coming to a place where the awesomeness and presence of God does not affect us all. To be honest with you, I would love to go to the building on a Saturday night, and the presence of God be so thick that we all fell down in reverence. That we had to crawl out of the building on hands and knees, just like the priests did when Solomon dedicated the Temple. Such is not impossible, but do we actually believe that God would fall in a meeting like this, or have we lost sensitivity to the Holy Spirit?
Think on this.....
When you read scripture, the same God who spoke and created a universe is now speaking directly to you. If Jesus could speak and raise the dead, calm a storm, cast out demons, and heal the incurable, then what effect might a word from Him have upon your life...my life? The possibilities of what He could do in my life should cause me to tremble!
Just thinking today.....
Do likewise.....
God on you...
mbb
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