Surprise – Surprise!

“I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear:but now my eyes seeth thee.” (Job 42:5)  He that hath my commandments, and kept them, he it is that liveth me: and he that liveth me shall be loved of my Father,and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21 KJV)

I often get taken by surprise by our Lord Jesus. Part of that is very pleasant and part of that is very humbling and well, surprising. His Word is so alive and the Spirit continually blows it within us as we choose to think, read, meditate and study what is written. Yet, he holds little secrets that occasionally pop up to “blow me away” and bless me. He does say “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.” (Psalm 25:14 KJV) He is so very faithful!

I believe it delights Him to have more and more to unfold for us and yes, surprises for us. I have been very aware lately of His delight in giving us His presence is such knowable ways. He is always with us, but there is a knowable aspect to His presence that in the past few years I have become aware of more and more. He loves to show up in tangible ways and delight us with Himself. Yet, I believe, there is so much more in this “seeing” aspect. We too often are content to know through reading and study (and those are so very essential), that we forget that He wants to actually show up – with us individually as we take time for Him, and with us in a meeting with the Body. Oh how He loves us and wants to reveal more and more.

The immediate response in me, and I suspect in you, is how do we provide a platform for such a meeting? While the question is valid, I believe it misses what He intends. He is calling us personally and corporately to expect Him and to allow Him to be present in ways we have not known before. It is called – believing the Word! This will call for some discomfort and many shy from this – both personally and corporately. May I urge us to embrace the scriptures above and expect them to continually take us to more and more “seeing” and “being” in Him and with Him. Moses said, even in the Old Covenant, “…If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” (Exodus 33:15 KJV) Moses knew that if there was no manifestation of presence, there would be no distinction between them and the other people around them. (v. 16) The presence of the LORD was to be the mark of the Israelites belonging to HIm. If that was true in the Old, how much more in the new. It goes with the glory given to us (John 17:22)

So LORD we receive your Word, and we expect encounter; an encounter that will unfold your person more and more to us. We give ourselves to being with You and in You in such a way that the revelation of you is clearly known and seen.