Day 7

Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.”—Song 2:9-10

There are times when Christ seems to hide from us—in almost playfulness—watching to see if we are looking—watching to see if we desire Him. Do you see His smile? Does your heart not leap within you?

We erect the walls that separate us from enjoying His presence—walls of rebellion—lattices of selfishness. But He sees right through them. He knows how to get around them!

Could we not find Him? He will find us, taking us by the hand, and drawing us to follow Him. This is the Bridegroom who comes for His Bride. His heart is filled with encouraging words, loving words, reassuring words that draw us into intimacy.

How will we respond on the Day He comes? Will He find us too busy, too self-absorbed, too deep in the things of this world? Like Lot’s wife, our attention is elsewhere. Or do we delight in finding Him? Do we wait at the door with extra oil, knowing the cry will yet be heard, “The Bridegroom comes!”?

Our God is the God who comes. At the intersection of heaven and earth, you can find Him. When the Spirit beckons, you can find Him. Do you see His smile? Then take your shoes off and run after Him. He is your beloved and you are His.

Prayer Topics: Seeking and Finding Christ; Delighting in Christ; Intimacy; Turning Toward God; Bride and Groom; Second Coming.

Day 6

“Woe is me, for I am undone!”—Isaiah 6:5

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken.”—Luke 5:8-9

The Book of Isaiah describes how the prophet is ushered into the Divine Court and witnesses scenes so awesome it leaves him undone. There he is commissioned to prophesy the lawsuits of the court to a recalcitrant people.

Peter witnesses the miraculous catch of fish and falls at the feet of Christ begging Him to leave. There he is commissioned to “catch men” instead.

God shook both men to the core of their being by an encounter with His power and presence. That shaking must precede any commissioning. For the purpose of commissioning is to shake a world hardened by sin. And any commissioning that lacks such an encounter will not long endure the obstinate hearts of humankind, and will, in fact, be blunted and dulled by its constant resistance.

Any true encounter with God will do these two things: it will leave you broken by His power and stirred to do His bidding. You cannot have a real encounter with His presence and remain the same.

Like Jacob wrestling with the messenger of God, you will come away with a limp and a blessing. You arrive as Jacob at Jabbok, but leave as Israel from Peniel.

A bush that burned unending turned aside a different shepherd. But the presence and power of God commissioned him with holy apostolic fire—a fire that ignited a people and seared the heart of Pharaoh.

“Woe is me, for I am undone!” Has an encounter with Christ left you echoing the prophet’s words? Then perhaps it is time to turn aside and wrestle with God.

Prayer Topics: Prophetic Lawsuits; Seeking His Presence; Wrestling with God; Commissioning; Shaking the World.

Day 5

The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”—Exodus 33:14-15

“Bend us, Lord!”—Evan Roberts, Welsh Revivalist

What distinguishes us from everyone else? Moses understood that His Presence in us, leading us, guiding us, changing us, meant all the difference. Whatever the endeavor might be, we need His Presence in it. And if we need His presence in our day-to-day walk, how much more do we need it in our corporate worship!

How often in the West the focus of worship becomes entertainment, or production, or performance! Too often the Church has focused on all the cultural trappings that attract the crowds and too little on what it takes to hear from the Spirit. It has become program based, not Presence based. The Spirit is corralled into time limits, or after-glow meetings, or altar prayers, or anything that doesn’t cause a disturbance. But shouldn’t “Disturb us, God!” be the cry of our hearts? Where is the revived heart that longs to be bent by the Spirit?

It was a great disturbance at Pentecost when the Spirit fell like tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-4). It was a great disturbance when the disciples prayed and the place was shaken as they were filled with the Spirit (Acts 4:31). Even in the one record of a service in the New Testament the unbeliever was so disturbed in his heart because of the prophetic word that falling down and worshipping he exclaimed, “God is really among you!” (1 Corinthians 14:25). Instead we pamper visitors.

Where is the prophetic word? Where is the conviction? The power? The challenge? The disturbance?

How greatly Moses understood! “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” If His Presence isn’t in the twenty minutes we worship, why do we stop? If His Presence is driven from the service, why do we even gather? What is more important than His Presence? What have we settled for?

Prayer Topics: Presence; Guidance; Witness of the Spirit; True Worship; Revived Heart; Bending in His Presence; “Disturb us, God!”