I will never forgot the words of a visiting evangelist who made an impression on my heart as a young adult.  These words passionately spilled out from the preacher one night in week-long revival, “If you think you can no longer hear God and you can no longer see and feel His Presence in your life; guess who moved? It wasn’t God!”  A quiet hush fell over the room as the preacher paused for a minute to let God speak the hearts gathered in the room.  The Holy Spirit of God began to work on the broken hearted with crushed spirits.  Then the preacher repeated the question with different, more personal emphasis; “If you don’t feel as close to God as you used to, who moved? 

The point of the message was clear.  If you feel distant from God, you are the one who has changed position. The solution to the problem was give up your position of self and humbly repent of your sins, praying in Jesus’ name to forgive you, for this is the only way to come back into the Holy Presence of God to reconnect our relationship with Him.  God does move from where He is as the God of all He has created, the One and Only God who sent His Son to save us by dying a cruel death on a cross to remove the sins of the world. The resurrection of Jesus defeated death and darkness.  “And we shall be like Him” who believe and be given eternal life to live with Him forever! God solved it all by making a way once and for all to remove our sins and change our eternal address! –All our sins for all the world all because of God’s unchanging, relentless, powerful, unmoving love for us!  

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

The motivation for sending Jesus was God’s immense love for the entire world. God has no favorite people group or culture for God so loves the world!  All are welcome with the open arms of a loving Father who longs to be near us and live in us.

God gave his “only begotten Son” (Jesus) as a sacrifice for humanity—His gift as the way to reconcile (reconnect) our holy, intimate relationship with God.  Salvation is offered to “whoever believes,” offering eternal life instead of perishing in hell. Jesus was not sent to judge or condemn the world, but to bring salvation to the world in need of a Savior and Lord. Only Jesus, God in the flesh, could do this for us. Jesus did what we cannot do for ourselves—remove our sins—to be remembered no more!  “No one comes to the Father except through Me” says Jesus. 

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”—Jesus, John 14:6

If you are trying others ways to move closer to God other than Jesus, then you more than likely moving away from His Presence. 

These verses of Truth from God’s Word show that God is alive and actively pursuing humanity rather than waiting for humanity to become acceptable to Him.  God accepts all who come as they are. But He doesn’t leave us as we are because He has so much more to give us to help us to grow more like Him in every way!  God is more, always more!  He is more than enough to save us from our selfishness, our inclination to go our own way without Him, and more than enough to bring us back home into His Presence.  He is more than enough, more than we imagine, more than anyone else can be and do! HE is God—we are not.  We need Him and He desires to faithfully supply our need.

THIS is the heart of the Good News gospel that summarizes the message of redemption and God’s desire for reconciliation with humanity—all who believe with a desire to have and to cling to an intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ, His Son. 

Come home.  He’s been looking for you, pursuing you, while waiting patiently with open arms.  But it’s our decision to come home.

Ah, the memories, there was nothing like a good Oklahoma revival; a time when we invited all our friends and family to church with us so everyone we knew could hear the good news of Jesus.  We prayed hard for souls weeks before the event. We worked hard to muster the courage to invite our acquaintances and even strangers on the streets of life!  Some of us invited neighbors we didn’t know and those we did business with weekly at local businesses.

I have learned that revival, however, is daily! The energy and power of revival comes over us as we give our lives to God as an offering daily!  Don’t reserve the Good News of Jesus for special occasions; people need Jesus now! (See Romans 12, Matthew 28:20)

David sings of God’s Presence, of the enemies who do not know God so they try to move us from God, along with the truth that it is not God who moved—it is us.

Psalm 11, The Message

^1-3 I’ve already run for dear life
    straight to the arms of God.
So why would I run away now
    when you say,

“Run to the mountains; the evil
    bows are bent, the wicked arrows
Aimed to shoot under cover of darkness
    at every heart open to God.
The bottom’s dropped out of the country;
    good people don’t have a chance”?

^4-6 But God hasn’t moved to the mountains;
    his holy address hasn’t changed.
He’s in charge, as always, his eyes
    taking everything in, his eyelids
Unblinking, examining Adam’s flesh and blood
    inside and out, not missing a thing.
He tests the good and the bad alike;
    if anyone cheats, God’s outraged.
Fail the test and you’re out,
    out in a hail of firestones,
Drinking from a canteen
    filled with hot desert wind.

⁷ God’s business is putting things right;
    he loves getting the lines straight,
Setting us straight. Once we’re standing tall,
    we can look him straight in the eye.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn the truth that God indeed “puts everything right” in our world with Jesus.  Jesus demonstrated the love God has for us by laying down His life for our sins.  Jesus “sets us straight” with God when we repent of our sins to Him.  “God doesn’t miss a thing” that is happening in the lives of those He loves—ALL His created humanity. 

Our response?

Believe and be saved from the bondage and yuk of sin with all the ugly side effects of our sin-sickness.  Be healed and set free!

Run to Him who receives us back with open arms of love and forgiveness because of His never-ending mercy and amazing grace.

Seek God first, ask Him daily for help to walk gratefully and humbly with God. He is faithful and just to give us all we need to grow in our intimate, holy relationship with Him. 

God has not moved.  He has not given up His authority. His love has not changed and never will. His mercies last a lifetime. His faithfulness is forever. God is able and never fails. 

God never misses a thing going on in our lives and stands ready to help us! 

To God be the glory, honor, and praise!

In Jesus Name, Yes and Amen!

And we’re singing—

We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love—
for Jesus, who died, and is now gone above.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Hallelujah! Amen!
Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Revive us again.

Revive us again; fill each heart with Thy love.
May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Hallelujah! Amen!
Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Revive us again.

(Revive Us Again, Author: W. P. Mackay 1863, 1867)