Experiencing God's Presence #224

Experiencing God's Presence #224

“Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said.

John 9:38

Jesus healed a blind man and a controversy erupted. To the religious leaders, Jesus had obviously sinned because He healed the man on a Sabbath. But how could a sinner heal? So these leaders attempted to discredit the miracle. They asked the man’s parents, in hopes that it had all been staged, but the parents assured them that the healed beggar was their son who had been blind from birth. The contradiction—an “ordinary sinner” who could perform miraculous signs—created quite a theological predicament for the experts. They couldn’t handle the truth.

The Presence of God creates such crisis moments when a decision must be made, when neutrality is no longer an option. Do we give Him credit for His works even when those works blow our theology away? Or do we stick to doctrine that confines Him to the boxes we think we’ve discerned from Scripture? It’s a harder choice than it seems for those who are well established in a system of beliefs. Yet it’s one of God’s favorite tools for revealing whose hearts really belong to Him.

God’s Presence and His works prompt faith in the openhearted but go unnoticed by closed minds. When we sense Him, we are faced with a choice: believe or don’t believe. The choice we make may very well determine whether we continue to experience Him or not.

Jesus brought out the very best in some people and the very worst in others. Whatever was in them came to the surface. When we commune with Him, we experience the same dynamic. Whatever is truly in us—whether faith, unbelief, love, apathy, hope, despair, or any other relational attribute—will eventually be exposed. Some people avoid Him for this reason, but it’s wiser to deal with the condition of the heart. As you sit with Him, notice what rises up in you. Whatever is of faith, hang on to it.

Jesus, whenever You shatter my assumptions, I’ll choose faith. Deal with any unbelief in my heart and help me trust You fully.