God sometimes makes Himself known in situations when you aren’t expecting it. When this happens, a jolt of reality eventually sets in.
The other day I was driving down the road, listening to a Christian radio station, and His presence just hit me. Mercy Me’s song, “Word of God Speak” came through the speakers. My hands, well at least one hand, shot up in the air. The car passing me probably thought I was being nice and waving “hi”, but not today. I was waving my hand alright, but in total praise to my sweet Jesus. I was softly singing and I started to close my eyes and imagine just me and God looking at each other face to face. But then, a jolt of reality shook my head as if God was reminding me… “Hello, you are driving! Open your eyes!” I should have just pulled over, kept singing as tears were streaming down my face, and then composed myself. But God held my focus on the road, even though my main focus was on Him. God made His presence known through a song.
I must say that the BEST “God making His presence known when you aren’t expecting it” moment happen recently at my mother-in-law’s funeral. Here we are celebrating a life well lived with sadness in our hearts, when God decides to have her older brother (who is battling cancer right now, prayers are appreciated) step forward, accept Christ as his Lord and Savior, and be baptized that afternoon. Glory!!! God made Himself known, and the jolt of reality was that no matter what stage you are in life, and no matter what circumstance gets you to this point, it is not too late to ask Jesus into your heart.
Today when I was reading John 18:4-11, these verses reminded me that there are times when we are in awe of His presence, and then we sometimes get a reality check on our task at hand. The Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the garden. When Jesus asked, “Who are you looking for?” They answered, “Jesus from Nazareth.” He said, “I am Jesus.” When Jesus said, “I am Jesus,” the men moved back and fell to the ground. (verses 4b-6) These tough Roman soldiers were in awe of His presence. They fell to the ground! This is a sign of reverence. They were standing face-to-face with God in the form of man, and it reads as if they knew it. They were astonished!
Then, Jesus had to give them a jolt of reality and remind them of their task at hand. He was like, “Excuse me, get up and look. I am The One you came for. My name is Jesus of Nazareth. No more sock and awe, let all others go and arrest me.” (totally paraphrasing verses 7 and 8 )
In my first example, God reminded me that I had a task of driving on the road. In the second example above, God reminded me that He is in control and He will get the glory when we walk through valleys. We Christians have the task of sharing His love with others, and finding joy in all things. (James 1:2, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,”)
(Here is a You Tube video someone posted that I just love. I totally reminds me of my “happy place” where I have been vacationing with the Tim’s parents for nearly 30 years. God definitely speaks to me there. This summer will be the first time we’ve been to this place without Mrs. Jany. Sad thought, wonderful memories, and I’m sure she wants us to make many more memoires there. “Word of God Speak” by Mercy Me Click and enjoy!)
I pray that you embrace those moments when you find yourself surrounded by God’s presence. But don’t just soak it up and keep it all for yourself, share His love with others. That’s your task.
Blessings to y’all.
June 16
