WHEN GOD VISITS YOU

chapter 1

              A STRONG DESIRE

      In the early period of the history of the nation of Israel, they had gotten comfortable with the Egyptian lifestyle and had fallen in love with the onions and garlic of Egypt. At this time the children of Israel still enjoyed the goodwill of successive pharaoh and the Egyptians. It is possible they had even forgotten the land flowing with milk and honey God promised Abraham and his seed. But Joseph being a prophet of God, knew by revelation what would happen in the not too distant future.

    "And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (Genesis 50:29).

     Hitherto, the predicament of the children of Israel remained the same. They did not pursue an ardent desire for a change In their circumstances; hence God's word couldn't be filled in them.
    After Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt, the children of Israel tremendously prospered and increased in number until a new pharaoh ruled Egypt, who knew nothing of how is he Egyptian empire was preserved from famine thorough Joseph wisdom (Exodus 1:7-14). Consequently, out of fear and insecurity in the face of the growing strength of the children of Israel, he subject them to slavery.
      Soon. Israel's desire for a change grew and God heard their cry and sent a deliverer to bring them out of slavery and lead them into promise land.
       
    "And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighted by reason of bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage" (Exodus 2:23).

         "And the lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrow; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand  of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites" (Exodus 3:7-8).

       So the lord called moses and said,
     " come now therefore, and I will send thee unto pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10).

          God's response came as a result of their strong desire for a change in their situation.
      There's another 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 physicians could help her. So, she knew God was the only one who could help her; her situations couldn't be reversed by man's power or ability. The situation was a bit bearable for her because her husband loved her so 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 result 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 Hus people Israel's sake" ( 2 Samuel 5:12).

       Isn't this amazing? David had been king for several year already. Then one day, while sitting on his throne, it dawned on him king 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 a desire for it, it might not occur to you that you need it. All of a sudden, the need dawn 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 whip of the Egyptian taskmasters landed on their back that God's promise occurred to them that a bitter 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 Christian 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 dawn on them, they may never recognize the situation 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!

         GOD IS AT YOUR DOOR 

      When you discover that you have a strong Desi 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 l, 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 l, 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.

     "The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted." (Proverbs 10:24)

       With the desire, half the battle is won already. But it's your responsibility to nurse it. Jesus said, 'blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.' (Matthew 5:6). The reason they're blessed is because they'll be filled. The presence of God comes right where there's a thirst and hunger for change according to the Word; right at the door of your heart.