“God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man, that He should repent: has He said and shall He not do it? or has He spoken , and shall He not make it good?”, Numbers 23:19.
As the enemy’s tide of evil floods the world at present, we do well to keep our eyes on the Lord and our ears tuned to what His word declares and hear what He is speaking. He is ever our “very present help in times of trouble”, Psalm 46 – “….therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed and the mountains be carried into the sea”
God’s word declares: “……When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him”, Isaiah 59:19.
Past revivals have flowed when the almighty hand of God has opened the flood gates of heaven, bringing repentance and salvation to thousands. The supernatural atmosphere transformed many lives, until the inevitable happened. Man put his hand upon it, attempting to steal God’s glory, and God withdrew His hand. He will not give His glory to another! The flow of revival ebbed!
When we do not learn from history, then history repeats itself. Many pray and seek revival, but we must endeavour to worship the God of revivals, and not the revival itself. Our mission here on our earthly journey is to know the Lord Jesus in a richer, deeper way. The apostle, Paul declared: “…I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. That I may KNOW HIM and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death”, Philippians 3: 8-10.
We have quoted in full on a previous blog (November 9, 2020 The Tide is Sure to Win), Priscilla Leonard’s poem entitled The Tide is Sure to Win. (The poem is beneficial to look up and read again). The waves of revival may have ebbed in the past, but the fruit of those blessings produced a harvest of souls extending the kingdom of God, establishing a future inheritance. The tidal wave of blessing broke, but there is no failure in God! May we keep our eyes on the Tide, on not on the wave! Whatever happens in this world, God’s plans and purposes will not be thwarted. Yes, the world and it’s ways are getting darker and more corrupt, but Jesus warned that this would happen in the last days. He also gave us His words of encouragement to keep our eyes on the Lord, and live close to Him,when these things take place, (Luke 21:28). God has everything in hand and has made provision for us to access His “very present help”. He encourages us to learn to live in His presence and carry it into every situation. This is an incrementally learnt lifestyle available to every child of God. It is part of our birthright in Christ. It is what He died for, paid the ultimate sacrifice, in order that we may follow in His footsteps and learn to live in the Presence of His Father, and ours.
God’s promises stand established for eternity, but if I choose to walk in unbelief, I will never walk in my inheritance and birthright. How sad it is when some Christians never fulfil their earthly, divine destiny offered to them. God promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”, Hebrews 13:5. “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest”, Exodus 33:14. There may be times when my emotions question God’s word and promises, but God is greater than my feelings.
Our emotions are great servants, but bad masters! If given pre-eminence at times they will lead us astray. The Lord Jesus Christ and God’s word must be given that first place in our lives. When I focus on the problem, I lose the conscious awareness of His presence, but He is still there, waiting for me to turn to Him for His very present help. Only as I give Him that first place in crises will I access the rest of His presence, His peace in turmoil. Finding God in the mundane, learning to live in His presence, carrying His presence into every situation is the lifestyle that the Lord Jesus wants to see worked into our daily living. This delights the heart of God and brings glory to His name. This is where revival begins.
In the last move of God, when His tide comes flooding in, there will be no room for man to glory. Man will be wiped out of the picture and only Jesus will be seen. Be mightily encouraged, God is not for losing! Rejoice, and move in the moment He makes available each day.
When God opens His floodgates of heaven for the last time, the tide shall have no ebb!
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
