A Visit From God

Many people today are in dire need of a change which only God could handle. They’ve probably heard about how God showed up in some other person’s situation, and this makes them wonder, ‘What about me?’ ‘When will God ever meet my need?’ But God is real and He does visit.

God is omnipresent; His presence fills everywhere; yet He does come and go, in spite of His omnipresence. This is because though His presence is everywhere; His manifested presence is not everywhere. So God does visit.

A Strong Desire
There’s an inspiring story of a woman in the book of 1 Samuel 1:1-21, named Hannah. Her story reveals God’s personality, faithfulness and kindness. Hannah had no child because she was barren. She had been in this situation for many years, and no physician could help her. So, she knew God was the only one who could help her; her situation couldn’t be reversed by man’s power or ability. The situation was a bit bearable for her because her husband loved her very much, her condition notwithstanding. Moreover, she got a worthy portion of offering to sacrifice to God at Shiloh - the annual place of worship. On a particular occasion, while the whole family was on their way to worship and offer sacrifices to God at Shiloh, her rival, Peninnah, goaded her with her condition. This made her very sad and desperate and her countenance fell. This time, her husband’s efforts to encourage her were all to no avail. By the time they arrived at Shiloh, her desire for a child was so strong, that the Bible says,

“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.” (1 Samuel 1:10)
Hannah had a strong desire now for a change. When God visits you, the first thing you’ll discover is a strong desire for change.

There is a promise of a higher realm of life for you regardless of where you are presently. God’s Word is His promise to you, and it’s a place of rest. When you let Him visit you, He will carry you there. You need the visitation of God in order to move to this realm of life, but first you need that desire. You are God’s child but you have an enemy, the devil, who will do everything to keep you from getting what is yours.

Do you want a change? Do you want the power of the kingdom of God to produce results for you? Then your heart must reach out; you must be bursting with a strong desire. Strong desire is necessary in life. A compelling desire for a change is the starting place.

“And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake.” (2 Samuel 5:12)

Isn’t this amazing? David had been king for several years already. Then one day, while sitting on his throne, it dawned on him that God had actually established him as king over Israel and exalted his kingdom.
I’m sure something like this has happened to you before; you were looking for a pen to use and it suddenly dawned on you, you had one in your pocket, all the while.

There are times you don’t have something but because you don’t really have any desire for it, it might not occur to you that you need it. All of a sudden, the need dawns on you and from that point your desire for it begins to increase. Hannah had probably made up a lot of excuses in her heart for her condition, thinking, “The God of Abraham will visit me one day.” She must have tried to console herself that everything was okay except that she didn’t have a child. But it got to a time that she couldn’t take it anymore, it dawned on her, just like David, that she needed a miracle. She knew she didn’t want to live the rest of her life without a child.

The same thing happened to the children of Israel in Egypt. It wasn’t until they didn’t have enough to eat and the whips of the Egyptian taskmasters landed on their backs that God’s promise occurred to them (Exodus 2:23-25). It dawned on them that a better land was waiting for them, where all the good things of life were freely available and they’d no longer be slaves.

Sometimes you find Christians in a desperate situation, just like Hannah’s, but they fail to recognize it. They have great need in their lives but fail to realize it. Until the need dawns on them, they may never recognise the solution or desire it.
You want a change? It’s got to dawn on you that God has prepared something better than where you are now. The first step to your miracle is to get uncomfortable with your present state!

When you discover that you have a strong desire for change, then God is at your door. The strong desire is the response of the human soul to God, as He knocks on the door of your heart. There’s something about the human soul; when your soul cries out in a strong desire, God immediately responds to it. God said, ‘before you call I’ll be there, before you ask, I’ll answer you’ (Isaiah 65:24).

Nourish Your Desire
What do you do with your desire? Let’s learn from David. David had an excellent reputation of seeking God’s Presence. God called him a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;  To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.” (Psalms 63:1-2)

David said, ‘I have a strong desire within me to see your power, Oh God!’ He didn’t hunger and thirst for food and drink; he thirsted and hungered to see the power of God. If you don’t follow his writing carefully, you may erroneously think he just woke up one morning with this desire without doing anything, that is, without any effort on his own part. The secret of this longing and desire for God is in verse 6 of the same chapter, where he says,

“When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.” (Psalm 63:6) Can you see that? Even when he went to bed, he didn’t forget about God. He thought about Him all day and night, meditating on His Word. This wasn’t an accidental thought. No! It was a conscious thought and must have required some effort on his part. He deliberately and consciously nursed his desire for God! You can either nurse to increase your desire, or quench your desire. When that strong desire comes to your heart, nurse it, nourish it, and don’t let anything take it away from you. Let it grow stronger and stronger.

You’ll also discover that when you have a strong desire for something, more information will come to you about that thing. Then you’ll look up to God for answers. If you have a strong desire, let it work in you, don’t push it away.