Epiphany

The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above.
-Ephesians 3:3

Have you ever had an epiphany?  A epiphany is described as:
"a moment when you suddenly feel that you understand, or suddenly become conscious of, something that is very important to you" (Cambridge dictionary)
"a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience." (dictionary.com)
When we get an epiphany, we suddenly see something, hear something and know something; and we are catapulted into a different place.  And the natural response to an epiphany is prayer.  In prayer, we receive or take in the epiphany that we have been given and take possession of it, integrating it into our lives.

Our response to an epiphany, that becomes a prayer, is first awe.  Epiphanies make our jaws drop.  We say, "Oh, I see it now".

The 'it' is the epiphany.  Many people have this experience, when they 'get' the gospel revealed to them.  You can have the best theological training, like Apostle Paul, and not get it, until it is revealed to you in an epiphany (Eph. 3:3).

We often do not understand what God is doing in a situation.  It could be in our individual lives or in our nation.  But the epiphany God gives us is intensely personal, because it impacts our individual heart to see as God sees.  We hear it, see it, know it and then pray about it; taking possession of the revelation.

Remember when God said, "This is my Son"?  Some heard it, but didn't hear it.  Some got the epiphany and others did not.  Some just heard thunder.

Jesus himself is the revelation of God.  Since Jesus came, as a baby, many people have not known who he really is.  Some have heard and seen him, but not known.

An epiphany is a grace.  And God gives grace to the humble.  We can humble ourselves or be humbled.

We can bow our hearts and receive.  That posture says, "I don't know and I am curious", or "What I do know is so limited and I want to know more, so my eyes are open, my heart is open, and I am looking."

We, as a people, need epiphanies.  We need revelations about what God is doing.

If we have an anti-supernatural bias about life, we are in deep trouble, as people of faith.  Because faith is completely dependent on revelatory experiences or epiphanies.

Being a believer is neither a social program nor an intellectual/philosophical/religious pursuit.  Being a believer is an ongoing, intimate, personal relationship with the living God, lived out in community with others who also have an ongoing, intensely personal relationship with the God who is alive and still speaks and reveals.

Epiphanies are not writing the Bible, but helping us to know the Bible.

A big and perhaps the biggest epiphany that God wants to give each believer is the revelation of seeing people as he sees people.

In the world, people have a perverse and ungracious way of seeing each other and words for people.  They see the worst, highlight the negative and are completely unloving.

We need, as a people, to get a revelation of how God sees people, what God says about people and to know God's heart for people: believers and not yet believers.

God is 'The God of peace'.  The dark side is very unpeaceful.  We are peacemakers, "Happy peacemakers", because we are daughters and sons of God (Matt. 5:9).

Have you ever had an epiphany, a time when you said, "I get it"?  Have you had your heart changed, by a revelation from God?  Have you heard something, then seen something, then known something and they prayed for the peace in yourself and for everywhere?

Do you know this Christmas song, written in 1962?
Do You Hear What I Hear? (Lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne Baker)
Said the night wind to the little lamb,
do you see what I see
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
do you see what I see
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
A song, a song, high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
do you know what I know
In your palace warm, mighty king,
do you know what I know
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere,
listen to what I say
Pray for peace, people everywhere!
listen to what I say
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light


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