When God Visits You
Why can’t I hear God? Does God still show up for those in need? What four reasons do we ignore God’s visit, and why is He visiting?
How often have we missed opportunities and queues in life only to understand their significance hours, days, or even years later?
We've all had that moment of realization. You're lying in bed when some distant memory returns. Suddenly new light and understanding are shed upon the situation or circumstance. It's those regret-filled moments that we kick ourselves for overlooking.
Sometimes, we do the same thing to God. How often have we felt an urge to show kindness or drop to our knees in prayer? Instead, we say, "God, I'm too busy right now."
A Missed Visit
When we review the Palm Sunday story, we have the opportunity to see ourselves in the crowd. Jesus was met with a hero's welcome. There were cheers and great joy of His arrival. They were ushering in their new king. They praised Jesus and called out to Him as "Hosanna," which in Aramaic means "save us." These people knew their need for salvation.
The caveat to their praise wasn't personal salvation; it was political. They were oppressed by the Roman government and trusted Jesus to be the one to save them. No one had ever blessed them with so much mercy and supernatural miracles like Jesus. He showed them compassion that spoke to their hearts.
But the tension and conflict began almost immediately after this scene. It rose from the hierarchy of the Roman government. He was betrayed, nailed to a cross, and forsaken. Not only did the crowds betray Him, but so did His disciples. What began with great cheers ended with great tears.
When times got a little hard, everyone in the story folded. They missed the significance of Jesus coming into their lives.
Sometimes we misunderstand God. Jesus did not come to fulfill anyone's political agenda (which is still applicable today). He came to save the world. The disciples and crowds were quite shallow to think that Jesus came to save them from their political enemies. But when you think about it, we're the same way. How many of us are more concerned about politics than personal salvation?
There are many reasons that we miss God's visit. My challenge is for us not to miss His visit in our life. But it can be easy to ignore them. So what are the reasons that we miss His visit?
How Do We Miss God?
1) When He's Not Invited Inside
Have you ever been at home, maybe you were relaxing or were in the middle of a project when the doorbell rang? You peek out the window to see it's someone you don't want to answer, so you pretend not to be home.
We can do that to God. We are too proud to let Him in. Maybe we think we've got it and don't need any help. It could be a time in your life when you're too busy; You'll worry about God when life slows down. Perhaps you’re not where you can believe yet. Or maybe you've been burned by the church in the past, and the idea of God is filled with hurt and distance.
2) When He's Invited In But Ignored
Maybe you're in a situation where you've let Him into your life but aren't listening. With the fast-paced life we live, it's easy to become distracted by the details of life that we ignore or forget Him.
During one home visit to check on a congregation member, they let me in the door, but they had the television on so loud I couldn't hear anything. I sat there for a long time, wondering why they even let me in the house if they would ignore me. We can do this to God too.
3) When We're Stubborn
Have you ever dealt with someone so stubborn and rude that it seemed like that was their only goal in life? It's bad when we treat each other like that, but even worse when we're that way towards God.
When we stiff-arm God, we're telling the one who set us free from bondage that we don't have time for Him. "You haven't made everything work out in my life as I want it to, so I don't think you can do anything for me."
When we close the door on God, we miss His visit that has the power to transform our lives, shape our future and change our families and society. God didn't just come to make us feel good every now and then; God came to change our hearts.
4) When God Doesn't Come As Expected
In the Palm Sunday story, Jesus arrived on a donkey. This was a much larger statement than it appears. He didn't come on a white stallion waving His sword and creating political change. Generals and Kings rode a horse only when they went to war. When they came in peace, they rode a donkey.
Jesus was not the emperor figure that the people wanted or anticipated, but the one who came in peace. He came to establish a spiritual kingdom that would set people free from their sins and the bondage of this world.
God Still Shows Up
The good news is that God still visits His people. So no matter how we've treated or viewed God in the past, He will always give us another opportunity to respond.
The visitations we can expect are related to heart matters, and God can show up in many different forms. It can be in a sermon or song. He could show up through a friend's kind word or a Bible passage. God can also visit you as an inward check by the Holy Spirit.
You say, Brother Chris, "Does God always speak that way?"
No, you can't pin God in a box. But, He can show up in so many delightful and surprising ways. From burning bushes, visits from angels, miracles, and dreams, scripture shows us many different ways that God visited His people. Our job is to be open to receiving those visits however they make come.
Why Does God Visit Us?
1) Strengthen
Psalm 66:10 says, "For you, O God, have tested us, you've tried us as silver is tried." The phrase "as silver is tried" refers to the scorching and fiery times in our lives. Those times are used to purify and strengthen us. Our faith is meant to grow and become stronger. We should pray not to become stagnant and invite God to examine our hearts.
2) Discipline
Discipline is a touchy word, but in Hebrews, it refers to correction. So as a parent, you don't discipline your child because you're angry at them. Instead, you do it because you love them and don't want them to make the same mistake twice.
If we are a child of God, He will discipline us. It's not a form of punishment. It's a refinement of our character and faith. It's a sign of His infinite love for us that we would be more like Him.
"My son do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and don't lose heart when He disciplines you, or when he corrects you." (Hebrews 12:5-6)
How do you take God's discipline? No one can grow into maturity without being tested or disciplined. That's what allows us to grow into greater obedience, sacrifice and love, and ultimately, Christ-likeness. Discipline, the scripture says, is painful at the moment, but if we're willing to yield ourselves to God's discipline, it will produce a harvest of righteousness.
3) Presence
This is my favorite one. God knows everything about you, brothers and sisters. The last two years have been very hard for many, many people. For some, your whole life has been challenging. We ask for God to get us through another day during those times. That's an appropriate ask, but that's also the prime time God wants us to invite Him in.
You were not created to get through another deadline or crisis. You are a child of God, and He wants to comfort you when your heart is anxious and burdened. It's okay to ask God for His comfort. Regardless of your struggle, God wants to bless you, and there's nothing like His presence to refresh a weary heart.
4) Deliverance
Many people haven't been delivered because they've kept their nose down and tried to grind through another day. Rather than ask for His presence, refinement, or strength, they shoulder the burden of their life, struggles, and hurt.
God longs and loves to offer us personal deliverance. In Psalm 106:4, the Psalmist appeals to God for a visit: "Remember me, O Lord, in Your favor toward Your people; Visit me with Your salvation."
The Hebrew term "salvation" can also be translated as "deliverance." The need may be physical, emotional, or spiritual, but the Psalmist asks God to remember him because he needs God's intervention.
It's amazing to me that we trust God to take us to heaven, but so rarely do we trust Him to break the power of addictions and bondages. I want to remind us that because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, and He can set us free from any work of the enemy. There is freedom and deliverance for those who are bound. Jesus came "to destroy the works of the devil.”
Do You Need Deliverance?
There are times in our lives we need to cry out just like the crowds of people. "Hosanna, save us!" We need the intervention of God in our lives because nothing we've tried is working.
Is there something in your life that just keeps on hounding you? Do you need a visitation or deliverance from something? Maybe your life is plagued by bondage, sadness, pain, or a pattern of resistance to God. We are called to lean on God in faith and pray that He would visit us with deliverance.
We don't ask God to visit us because we don't expect God to show up. In our busy secular society, we often become too natural in our thinking. So we pray without expecting God actually to intervene or show up.
I can't imagine that the same Jesus who stood up in the synagogue and declared the scripture below doesn't want to do this anymore.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (blessing)…to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion…" (Isaiah 61:1)
Jesus was anointed to these miracles, and scripture says He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
How do you plan to respond to His next visit?
TL;DR
In the Palm Sunday story, the Jerusalem crowd missed the significance of Jesus’ arrival.
They believe He was to save them from political oppression, not to change hearts.
How do we miss God?
When we don’t let Him inside.
When we let Him in but ignore Him.
When we’re stubborn.
When He doesn’t arrive as expected
No matter how we've treated or viewed God in the past, He will always give us another opportunity to respond.
Why does God visit us?
Strengthen
Discipline
Presence
Deliverance
Related Reading
How Can I Know God by Grant Caldwell
Can God Use a Sinner by Bro. Chris Carter
Have You Prayed About It? by Mike Weaver
About Christ Church Memphis
Christ Church Memphis is church in East Memphis, Tennessee. For more than 65 years, Christ Church has served the Memphis community. Every weekend, there are multiple worship opportunities including traditional, contemporary and blended services