Your God is Coming
Shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem.
Shout and don't be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah,
“Your God is coming! ”
-Isaiah 40:9
Your God is coming! This is good news. One of my favorite messages, from my favorite preacher, asked the question of what to do while you wait for God to come. It was an encouraging message.
The follow-up message, is, "Get Ready, God is Coming". Here is what I believe and want to share. I believe that God is an active God (John 5:17), who interacts with his people. There are times and seasons (1 Thess. 5:1), and there are times when God moves (Acts 3:20).
Like a surfer catching a wave, we have to be ready to catch the wave, in order to benefit from it. There are waves that God brings - waves of revival, refreshing, renewal, and awakening. This reminds me of a book, called, "Another Wave of Revival", that is an eyewitness account of the Azusa Street Revival of 1907.
There have been hundreds, perhaps thousands, of outpourings or moves of God, that have happened after the first one on the day of Pentecost. And every time, there have been people who have been awesomely blessed, like a surfer who goes to the top of a mighty wave; and there have been people who were asleep or rejected and even persecuted those who participated in it.
Also, there have always been people who, "wipe out", in the wave. Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) would be an example. We both need to get ready for the wave and we need to be humble, when the wave hits. As one elder put it, "bow low and drink deep".
The normal mature Christian life is a life where we live aware that life is short and we want to make the most of our limited time. In addition, as we become more spiritual and heavenly minded, we also become aware that Jesus Christ's second coming is very near. To preach about it and talk about it is very normal.
We not only want to live with the end of our lives in mind (2 Cor. 5:10), but we also want to get ready now, for what God is going to do today or tomorrow. We do not want to be like those in Israel who missed Jesus (Luke 19:44).
We can miss him. We can be unprepared or get caught flat footed, when God comes (Matt. 25:10). Jesus said that when he comes the second time, that it will be like Noah's day (Luke 17:26). Noah heard God and went through a long time of building. The people made fun of him.
We also need to be like Noah, hearing God and preparing for God's coming. If you gear your life to be ready for Jesus second coming, you will also be ready for God's next move. The move of God, revival, awakening, and renewal all carry with them the similarity of God acting in our lives.
My favorite comment, on what is meant by, "your God is coming" (NLT), or, "behold your God" (ESV), is from Gary V. Smith :
"God will not just watch over his people in some general way by watching over the course of nature; he will personally be present in power, accomplishing his work among his people."Dr. Smith did not get this idea out of the blue, but it comes for the next verses in Isaiah 40, that end the chapter:
Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.The word of Isaiah 40:9, "your God is coming", or "behold your God"; carries with it the implication that God is going to do something good. I remember hearing the song, on the Oral Roberts TV show.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms,
Holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. -Isaiah 40:10-11
"Something good is going to happen to you, happen to you, this very day. Something good is going to happen to you. Jesus, of Nazareth, is passing your way".I like that song. There is a dynamic where God visits, and when he visits, he blesses. The message, "your God is coming", is good news to be shouted, to be broadcast as loud and far as possible.
God has the same ministry today as he always has had. He comes in power, he brings his reward, he feeds his flock, he carries his lambs, and he gently leads. God personally accomplishes his work among his people.
We need to get ready for God's coming, get out of the way when he comes, and serve along side God when he moves among us.
Ready or not, here he comes.
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For further reflection and study, I would recommend these books:
I Believe In The Holy Spirit, by Michael Green
Christianity with Power: Your Worldview and Your Experience of the Supernatural, by Charles H. Kraft
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