Mysterious God and His Ways by Rocky Fleming

 “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.”  Habakkuk 1:5 ESV

 The admonition in the scripture above is to look around and see.  To see what?  To see a hard to believe work by God that is going on around them.  Does this instruction apply to the Church this day?  Maybe so?

God’s second admonition in this scripture is to wonder and be astounded.  My question is are you interested in discovering a work that God is doing in other people, in other ministries, in other nations, in other churches, in other denominations?  Are you looking, or do you think that your point of view is the only right view, and all others are wrong?  Do you want to experience this wonderment and astoundment if you see it, or do you begrudge it because it’s not in you personally?  If you will look at what’s going on in this nation and other nations you will see that there is a fresh movement of God’s Spirit moving on campuses, in the marketplace, in many churches, and in spiritually hungry people.  But you will not see it if you aren’t looking for it.  There is a movement in the persecuted Church and as well churches that are no longer satisfied with their comfort and complacency.  Look around and you will see it.  But also look around and see the resistance to this movement.  You will see an unleashed evil that is fighting hard to resist this movement of God.  The battleground is heating up.  Do you sense a resistance in you?  Are you being told by your church leaders to stay away from it?  Do they feel threatened, like the Pharisees were threatened when Jesus came, and Holy Spirit fell on the people at Pentecost?   Don’t be surprised if this is happening, for what it comes down to is that evil doesn’t want you part of this movement of the Holy Spirit.  The battle is just too important to lose.

A few weeks ago, a freedom from religion outfit (in other words anti-religion) sent a warning to Auburn University when more that 200 students were baptized on a lake outside the campus.  Their reasoning is bazaar, even cloudy.  But that is what the Evil Man does.  He clouds minds and hearts from seeing something special that God is doing.  Why does this concern these people?  Are they trying to prevent something?  Obviously so.  They are following their leader and his minions that are doing all that they can to keep this country and world in his darkness.  But there is something going on by Almighty God that can’t be stopped by the Evil Man.  I feel that it is building momentum and will create an awaking in God’s family that has been needed for a long time.  In many followers of Christ there is an anticipation, almost like the build-up before Christmas.  Do you remember that feeling as a child?  Oh, to recapture that feeling again, but not for a seasonal joy. To recapture the excitement and anticipation that God is about to do something amazing … something that will create wonder and astoundment in His family.  I believe that it is on the way and He’s telling us to watch for it and join it.

You may ask, “Why do I not feel this anticipation that you speak of?”  This is where I ask, “How’s your soul?”  If our soul to too troubled or too satisfied in this life, we may have a spiritual dullness that clouds our vision.  It really comes down to our earthbound view and how it robs us of the perspective that a better day is coming and is here even now.  As a follower of Christ, if we fix our heart and ambitions on what we can get out of this life, our struggle begins and remains there.  We are not created for this life.  We are created from it.  Through Christ we have been recreated for His kingdom.  If our perspective is earthbound, we will not see the marvelous things He is doing.  We will not have an expectation and anticipation of His movement that has begun.  You may ask, “What can I do about it?  How can I tune into what I’m missing?”  The answer begins with your heart … the true inner being of yourself … the love connection that you have with Christ. It starts there, and grows there, and remains there.  Then you will see what you are missing.

Yesterday I heard music to my ears from a young man that I mentor.  He is a very successful surgeon and is at the top of his game.  Still, he longs for more in life, something that’s been missing within him out of sight.  For a while I’ve spoken to him about the love God has for him, and talking about God’s grace, and what that means.  Many of us who are overachievers find it hard to believe or accept such an unconditional love that’s God’s grace gives to us.  We worship this God of Grace.  We love Him.  We want to feel more deeply connected to His love.  But it seems improbable that such loves exist for me.  Perhaps other good people.  But surely not for me.  Why do we think this?  It is because our thinking and perspective is earthbound.  We are trapped by it.  We’ve got to discover God’s love as He intends for us to know it to really know Him.  My friend told me that for the first time he felt that he heard a clear message spoken directly to him from Jesus.  He heard, “Do you know how much I love you.”  By his tears of joy, I could tell that these words spoken to his heart were real.  It was profound, and it was just what he needed.  Do you need this?  Then open your heart to Him and let Him take you further into His love.  He’s waiting for you. 

How can I declare this?  As always, I find my truth from the bible and share this truth to encourage followers of Christ.  I don’t speak on my own authority but rather the authority and truth of God’s Holy Word.  This is what He says:

“Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”  Isaiah 30:18