Chasing the Son 7
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14
What great hope we find in these words. God assures us that when we seek Him, He will heal us by His grace. Now it appears we’re on the advent of a great spiritual awakening. A revival initiated by God to call us to repentance and awaken us to a renewed reliance on Him. The Holy Spirit is conducting a revival that began on Asbury Campus in Kentucky.
He’s showing His presence and is moving in powerful ways, drawing thousands to be part of the experience. And praise God, although the activity seems to have begun there, it isn’t limited to just this one location. Only God knows what He has planned for this revival.
Over fifteen days now of continuous, spontaneous worship. No organized rock bands, no flashy preachers, nothing scripted. Just a continual flow of praising God, singing hymns, Scripture reading and repentance; all guided completely by the Holy Spirit. Worship in its purest sense. Sarah Baldwin, VP of Student Life testified,
“From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in – we heard with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed, was incredibly this: The infinite Life of God Himself took shape before us. We saw it; we heard it; and now we’re telling you so you experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ…”
It’s not manufactured emotion. It’s not some scheme to attract attention to a small college. It’s real. And it’s growing. And the big question, will people get in the way and distract from the work of the Spirit, to draw attention to themselves, has been answered.
“Some prominent ministers and famous gospel singers have been… asking to lend their services. They are…being told: you can come like anyone else…if you can find a seat at the back of the auditorium, you’re welcome to worship with us. But we don’t want church as usual. Not the agendas. Not the programs. Not the showboating. The simple worship and meeting will continue to be led by a humble group of students, under the direction of the Holy Spirit.”
Isn’t that beautiful? Wisdom and discernment to allow the Spirit to work unencumbered by people. We’re so caught up today in theological differences and disputes and varying church structures; how WE think worship should be led; what WE think worship should look like, that we quench the Spirit and don’t allow Him to simply move through us.
God knows we need healing. We’ve sought Him in prayer to intervene in the direction of our culture. He’s heard our cries and now He’s responding in a powerful way. I pray that we recognize God in this movement, humble ourselves in His presence and allow Him to guide us. Don’t try and outthink Him. Don’t try and steal the show. But keep it all about Him. Allow Him to point His people to Jesus and away from our sinful selves.
We beg for miracles. We say God show Yourself and I will believe. Now He’s calling the bluff. And it’s up to us to respond. His arms are open wide and He wants a relationship with you. He loves you so much that He sent His one and only Son to die on a Cross for your salvation, so that when you make the personal decision to believe in Him, from that moment forward you will never perish, but have eternal life.
