When God Shows Up

Driving home from work one evening last week during pouring rain, I was tempted to pull aside and sit it out,  but the rain didn't seem to be stopping any time soon so I continued. With the dark, gray clouds and unrelenting rain, visibility was poor, even with my headlights on, and I stuck behind the car in front of me in order to stay on course. The downpour grew heavier until I could barely make out the shape of the car. I said, "I wish he would turn his lights on." Immediately, his lights came on and I was able to see a little better. Some people might say that was a coincidence, but I say it was God showing up just when I needed Him.

Many times in the hustle and bustle of life, we don't recognize the countless little ways in which God helps us. You may be thinking of a friend or family member you haven't heard from in a while, and that person calls. You may be racking your brain for a solution to a problem, and the answer comes in a way you hadn't expected. Somebody gives you something you had been longing for, but didn't think you could afford it. As someone who has experienced a lot of adversity, I know what it's like to have God show up in amazing ways.

Elijah, great man of God, hid in a cave because Jezebel had threatened to kill him after he killed the prophets of Baal. The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19: 11 - 12.

And that was when God gave his instructions to Elijah. God is a great and mighty God, but He doesn't always show up with thunder and lightning. Sometimes it's in the little things we see His face: in a beautiful flower, a baby's smile, a gentle breeze on a hot summer day. 

"Be still and know that I am God ..." (Psalm 46: 10).

 Here is a video to help you do just that.

Do You Know The Lord?

I wanted to touch on something from my last post about the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt. When Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh to tell them what the Lord had said, Pharaoh replied, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go ? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go" (Exodus 5: 2 KJV).

Those words are significant. I know not the Lord. Do you know the Lord? Here are some ways you can tell if you know the Lord.

1. You listen and obey His voice. You might say you do not hear God's voice. God may not speak to you audibly the way He spoke to Moses, but He may speak to you in so many other ways: through His word, through another person, through a sermon or even through an incident. Moses first saw a burning bush before he heard the voice of the Lord.

2. You fear the Lord. Some say we should not fear God because God is love, and since He loves us we have nothing to fear. Proverbs 1 : 7 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" People who know the Lord fear His punishment, His judgement, His wrath. Most of all they fear being separated from Him as a result of sin. Jesus said, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10: 28 KJV).

3. You love the Lord. To know the Lord is to love Him with an all-encompassing love. A love that goes beyond anything you can feel for your spouse, parents or even your children. It is a love that makes you almost impatient to be with Him. Paul said, "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart , and to be with Christ; which is far better" (Philippians 1: 23 KJV).

4. You trust the Lord. Moses and other great men and women of the Bible knew the Lord and trusted in His goodness. He is the God who says, "And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Psalms 50: 15 KJV). It is what made Paul say, "Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver : in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us" (2 Corinthians 1 : 10 KJV). And when the children of Israel grumbled against Moses he was able to say with confidence, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD" (Exodus 14: 13).

Pharaoh was right. He did not know the Lord, therefore he did not listen, he did not fear, he did not love and he did not trust the Lord. He didn't know there was a King far greater than he who would defend the Israelites and give them the victory. Do you know the Lord? If you do, fine. If you are not sure, examine yourself in light of the above. If you don't know Him, ask Him to come into your heart today. He will teach you everything you need to know.