Posted by Chika Ilonwa on January 31, 2010 at 11:00am
Many people today are in dire need of a change which only God could handle. They’ve probably heard about how God showed up in some other person’s situation, and this makes them wonder, ‘What about me?’ ‘When will God ever meet my need?’ But God is real and He does visit. God doesn’t always come with a shout; He doesn’t always come amidst blinding lights. This is why some people don’t recognize His Presence when He comes. A lot of times He just sets up little signs, and if you’re not desiring Him, you may not know when He shows up.
“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13)
When God met with Elijah, great signs were manifested but God wasn’t in any of them; there was a great wind, an earthquake and a fire. God doesn’t always come with pomp and pageantry; He may just come to you in a most obscure and unusual manner. The important thing is to recognize His Presence however. Jacob had a dream and when he awoke, he said, “...Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.” (Genesis 28:16). He realized God had visited him while he slept and he didn’t even wake up!
Don’t wait for a sign before you acknowledge the Presence of God. Always be prepared to receive from God every time and at anytime; that’s the winning attitude.
Don’t Stop
Joseph encouraged his brethren to keep God’s promise in their hearts, and be strengthened by the thought of a better land. “And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” (Genesis 50:24-26)
Being a prophet of God he knew the children of Israel would go through some tough and rough times. ‘Don’t give up, don’t despair because God has promised us a better land and He is faithful to his promises.’ This could summarize his valedictory address. I’m sure they must have stared at him in utter amazement, ‘Leave? What in the world are you talking about? This place is great; there is famine everywhere else’, they must have thought. But by the time they became slaves to the Egyptians, Joseph’s words made sense to them. It was Joseph’s words that encouraged them through four hundred years of slavery.
In Jacob’s case, after many years of self-exile in another land, he wanted to go back home. He had been living with his uncle, but now he wanted to start a new life in his own house with his own family. You may be living with your uncle or friends and you want your own house. That’s just the way Jacob felt; he wanted a change, and the desire came because God was at his door. Hannah was desperate about her situation as well. So, you can see that you’re not alone.
When God knocks at your door and that desire wells up in you, don’t try to suppress or smother it. What you really ought to do is build, nourish and constantly stir up that desire. Your desire is the first step because there are still many more things to do. This is why I’m sharing these thoughts with you. Don’t stop now! Let your desire bring you to the place where you’ll possess what you’ve desired.
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