I Will Show You

"Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."

-- Jeremiah 33:3

The Holy Bible records many instances of the direct works of God before men. The Old Testament, especially, bears frequent witness to people having contacts with angels, conversations with God, God's handiwork in the world. Whether from a burning bush or a cloud overhead, people sometimes heard the voice of God in answer to their pleas or giving them direction.

Today, those who do not believe in God, or who struggle with their belief, often express their disbelief by pointing to these instances of direct divine intervention in Biblical times and asking why not today? They smugly note that if God indeed existed, why does He not show Himself today like He did then?

The simple answer also comes from the Bible, this time from the New Testament. God gave His own Son to the world, that through Him we might be saved. Once the ultimate sacrifice was given, and we became washed clean of our sins by the blood of the Lamb, salvation is within our grasp if we only believe. God made the final direct intervention to mankind through Jesus Christ.

The answer that unbelievers or those weak in their faith may find a little more difficult to accept is that God still speaks to us, directly. He still shows Himself to us so that we might glorify Him. All we have to do is call to Him, and He will answer. Not that we can expect to hear a voice say "Yes?" when we shout "Lord!". We need not stand on the mountain heights and scream at the top of our lungs for God to listen to our pleas. No, we need only stop, be still, be silent, and listen with our hearts for the soft whispers of our Father's comforting voice. If we do shout for His attention, He may answer simply with birdsong, or a baby's laughter. If we scream out our needs, He may answer years later, silently giving us what we truly needed.

And if we stand upon the mountain and lift our eyes to the heavens, He may show us the wonders of His rising or setting sun, of His beautifully painted landscape, of lightning crackling through the air. On the palette of a cloudless night sky, He displays for our viewing pleasure the vast infinity of the universe He made come into being. He gives us glimpses into the very nature of life which He designed.

We sit in our laboratories doing all manner of scientific endeavor, splitting atoms and mapping the human genome, and we think we are so clever. Yet we sometimes forget that God created the very atoms we study, He laid out the human map we decipher. All we have seen, all we know, He showed us in His own due time. All great and mighty things are the result of God's loving hands, and He presents His majestic works for our wonderment, our awe, and sometimes just to show us things which we do not know.

Stop for a moment. Be silent and listen. Look around you. Pay attention: God is talking to you.

Create In Me

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

-- Psalm 51:10

"Lord, send a revival.
Lord, send a revival.
Lord, send a revival,
and let it begin in me."

-- from the movie "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit"

I love the two "Sister Act" movies because I love music and the way music is used in those wonderful little films to glorify our Lord. At first the church choir struggles with poor pitch, bad timing, and many sour notes. But they make dramatic improvements when a Vegas show girl, hiding out from her gangster former boyfriend and impersonating a nun, leads them, using modern, even secular pieces to sing to God. They don't just sing God's praises, they sing to Him. Church choirs everywhere, yours most definitely included, delight in lifting a joyful song unto the Lord. We sing to our Father, and by doing so, praise Him.

The lyrics above were not performed by that little choir, instead sung by a high school choir in competition, and though only a short piece included mainly to give the primary teen actors in the second film something to admire and talk about before taking the stage themselves, it nonetheless struck a chord within me (if you will pardon the pun) and stayed with me over the years. Today those words seem to resonate even more clearly within my heart, for our dear Lord has most certainly sent a revival that began in me.

Spring is the traditional time of renewal, of life emerging once again from its winter slumbers. Easter personifies this with the resurrection of our Lord and Savior and His ascension to His throne and dominion over all the universe. Renewal, rebirth, revival. We all feel it to some degree. I am experiencing it first hand.

While perhaps not completely lost, I had certainly been hiking further and further off the straight and narrow path Jesus teaches us to follow. But the Good Shepherd knew I was in peril, so He came looking for me. He sent some earthly angels to take my hand and bring me back to the safety of the fold. I am still a sinner, and there may be times when you think that, like the character in the movie, I am impersonating something I most certainly am not. I am just so filled with the Holy Spirit that I fear it often overflows and comes flooding out of my mouth (or fingers, as the case may often be). My prayer is to excite everyone I touch with just how much our Savior loves us and how much He offers.

I would like to encourage everyone to not only attend your regular Sunday morning worship services, but to also join a Sunday School classes if you do not already attend one regularly. Jesus taught that one of the best ways to keep Him in our hearts and to stay on His path is to spend as much time as possible with others who seek the same goal, so that we provide support to each other and reinforce positive Christian beliefs. Sunday School offers not only an opportunity to learn something new, but also the chance of teaching others, of helping them, of sharing insights. In this way we all benefit and build a closer relationship to Jesus. By discussing confusing passages or even controversial subjects that Christians are faced with today, we can gain a better understanding of our own goals, our own purpose in life, and the ideals we should strive for. Please, join us. Please take advantage of every opportunity each week to unite with your friends in worship, inspiration and prayer. Take advantage, and take a closer walk with God.

The Lord sent a revival. Now let it continue in us.