How many of us ache for the presence of God? How many of us wish God would touch us like He does those who are so often slain in the Spirit? How many of us eagerly attend services to listen to a guest pastor who powerfully flows in the prophetic? Of course we do so because hopefully he will have a Word for us from God. And how disappointed are we not when the service is over and we were not called to the front and no profound word was spoken in our direction? How many of us have become angry at God for His absence from our lives? Worst of all perhaps, how many of us have longed from the depths of our being to feel the touch of God that will drip like oil over our being with God's tangible love for us - only to have been disappointed into unbelief?
Beloved... you are deceived if this is you. I was deceived when I thought like this, when I hoped like this, when I had expectations like these.
If you have a Bible, God's declarations of love, His presence, His present words are as close as your Bible. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God (John 1: 1).
If God says "The Word was God" then it means God is the Word. When we want the tangible presence of God and a powerful prophetic word from the mighty man of God, then an even better answer is to go to God Himself. Your physical senses may not experience the things you desire, but your spirit knows. Your spirit knows that it enters into the Holy of Holies when you reach out your hand and open the Word. Truly, the Lord is near at hand and we don't know. Know and enter in.
Let us pray.
Father, thank You that You have opened my spiritual eyes to comprehend what it means that the Word is as alive and as real as You are God. In fact, You say You are the Word. Father, I commit to meditate on John 1:1 for what it means for my life that You are the Word. And I commit to fall in love with the Word as I and all the world will fall in love with Christ when we behold Him with eyes unveiled. God, thank You that I am Your sheep and therefore hear Your voice (John 10: 27). Thank You for declaring "blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear" (Mat 13: 16). Thank You for declaring that "it has been given to [me] to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" (Mat 13: 11). Thank You, Father, that it is my inheritance now already to know mysteries many will only discover after death. Oh, and the best part is - I can have more and more if I will but be faithful in what I'm entrusted with (Mat 13:12). This is super exciting, but to be prayed about another time.
2 Peter 1: 19 says the Word is more sure than prophecy. Father...this means, better than a prophet speaking into my life, better than a sign from heaven or even the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, is the FACT that at ANY moment, I can hear Your voice. Like Moses, I can get direct instruction from You. With Jacob, I must confess, "surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know" (Gen 26: 18). Father, forgive me for so easily having ignored You and exchanged time with You for something more entertaining. And yet You were with me the whole time. The whole time. All the time. Thank You Father for having been with me when I needed a friend. Forgive me for having been mad at You for not sending me a friend, You were there, but I did not know. Father, forgive me for the times I felt down and needed encouragement, but did not even think of coming to You, for You were right there. Always. But thank You, thank You Father for now having opened my eyes. By Your grace I commit to run to You the way a fanatic runs towards their addictive enjoyment.
Father, if we learned about a place where the tangible presence of God was, we would pay to get there, we would take leave to spend time in that awesome heavenly presence, Father we would go to extremes to be satisfied by that presence. Oh God... and yet You have availed Your presence, Your guidance, Your love declarations to us, but we don't know it. Father, thank You for opening my spiritual eyes.
Everything the Word thus says about how You love Israel, how You love the world, is You declaring Your love for me. Instead of waiting for a prophetic speaker, I can read over and over again how You dance over me (Zephaniah 3: 17) and how You write my name on the palm of Your hand (Isaiah 49: 16), how You gave Your best for me (John 3: 16), and on and on about Your love for me. You love me passionately the way a bridegroom loves his bride (Is 62: 5), so I need never feel alone, uncared for, not favored, hopeless. Father You love me and You tell me over and over how much You do.
Thank You, Holy Spirit that You teach me all things (John 14: 26, 1 John 2: 27)and that I hear Your voice. Father, I pray You translate what I assuredly hear in my spirit to my mind, that I may become conscious of what You speak to me from Your Word. It's so exciting to know You and to be on this journey with You.
My Father, I bless Your holy name.
Amen, in Jesus' name.
