03/29/2023
On the 24th of this month I wrote of my having encountered Jesus in front of a jewelry store. It was an unexpected encounter that taught me a great deal about myself and my faith. Today I would like to explore those sudden and unexpected appearances of Jesus further.
“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Matthew 24:42. 44
As Jesus spoke of in the Gospel of Mathew, and was revealed again to John in Revelation, we don't know the date and time of the second coming of Jesus, but we do get chance encounters with His presence, and sometimes being, on various occasion. It might be like the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, where they walked with Him in unawares, it might be through a set of circumstances that reveals His presence to us, or maybe by exploring His Word and finding Him there with the aid of the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us to be ready in scripture when He says:
“Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.”
Luke 12:40 KJV
He will come to claim His bride as predicted by the vision of John in Revelation, but He also surprises us off and on during our lives as we learn more about Him, ourselves, the Word, and our faith. I am reading Oswald Chambers this year, and in the devotional message I read today he wrote about this subject. This is what he said...
"Jesus rarely comes where we expect Him; He appears where we least expect Him, and always in the most illogical connections. The only way a worker can keep true to God is by being ready for the Lord's surprise visits. It is not service that matters, but intense spiritual reality, expecting Jesus Christ at every turn. This will give our life the attitude of child-wonder which He wants it to have." - Oswald Chambers
Do we expect to see Jesus today? Do we anticipate a visit from Him at any moment? Do we walk through life with a spiritual focus and a childlike wonder?
When my wife and I are expecting company we rush around getting our house in order. I have two levels of preparation... I have a relaxed attitude about it if we are expecting family, and then I have a more intense desire for the house to be perfect for others. Ann, on the other hand, has just one... the house needs to be in perfect order despite who is coming.
Jesus is like a family member that just drops in to see you. At least that is my perception, but with Ann's view of visitors, the house must be perfect regardless of when He arrives. In fact she is right. Although we often approach our earthly visitors by rushing about straightening up a house that is normally less than perfect, we should actually want our homes and lives ready for Jesus at any time.
You might have heard the expression "Our home looks like someone lives here." That is an excuse for a house that is disheveled and in disarray, but it can be true of our lives as well. We have spiritual highs and lows and although we would like for Jesus to always find us on a spiritual high with our lives in perfect order... like on Sunday during worship service, but He often makes surprise visits when we least expect Him. Jesus comes when our house looks "lived in", and He uses that clutter to teach us lessons, often embarrassing lessons, about our life of faith.
We attempt to order our lives. We have cleaning days, yard days, vacation days, work days... well you get the picture. We also have religion which is like one of those days... perhaps we call it Sunday. Religion is comprised of practices that we feel bring us into compliance with God's expectations of us. Sometimes our view of religion makes it something to be worshipped and not a tool to be used in worship. When Jesus calls on us, will He find us worshipping Him... or worshipping the things we have surrounded Him with? Chambers had a thought regarding this too:
"If we are going to be ready for Jesus Christ, we have to stop being religious (that is, using religion as a higher kind of culture) and be spiritually real." - Oswald Chambers
Jesus wants to be comfortable when He drops in. If we are busy with the manners of our faith's culture and not relaxed in our conversation with Him, then we have wasted our time with Him. My father passed away several years ago. If I were given ten minutes with him right now, I wouldn't spend it talking about things I have done, or asking Him to take his shoes off at the door. I would embrace him and not let go except to look at his face as I told him how much I loved and missed him. I would smell the sweet aroma of pipe tobacco that he always smelled of, and I’m certain it would be the shortest ten minutes of my life. For those ten minutes the things in my life would become insignificant... love would be all important.
So when we receive surprise visits from Jesus, we should be prepared for His arrival and expecting to see Him without notice. We should have a child-like anticipation of His coming. Then, if He finds our house "lived in" we should listen to the lesson, and see ourselves through His eyes as He reveals to us the truth about what is really significant in faith; what is important and what is actually clutter. But most of all, we should embrace Him and hold Him as I spoke of holding my father. Jesus doesn't come to us in pomp and circumstance, He usually comes to us in the low points of our lives, he comes when we need to see that our house is a mess, or to tell us in our deepest despair that we aren't alone and that in Him there is hope and perfect order. In either case, we shouldn't be surprised when he comes... just grateful and full of a child's emotion. Is our house truly in order today, and are we excitedly awaiting His knock, and voice at our door?
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
Revelation 3:20 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your Son and the impact He has on my life. I thank you for the love He brings to me and the perfecting of all that I am. Jesus, in my darkest hours or most disappointing habits you come to me with instruction, revelation, and comfort. Your blood is my redemption, and your love my greatest possession. In your eyes I see myself as I truly am, and in your arms I feel the love that is the foundation of our relationship. I know that you will never abandon me to a life of discord, and that in my "lived in" house you will provide order. Thank you Jesus for your visits and the perfecting of my life through your example. I humble myself upon your arrival and bathe your feet in my tears... my love for you overshadows all that I am, and like a child I look for you in everything that surrounds me. You are the seed of the childlike faith that dwells in fascination within me. You are the focus of my faith as I wait to hear your footsteps, to embrace you, and to smell the sweet aroma of Heavenly incense in your hair and on your clothing. Visit me often Lord Jesus, and surprise me with your coming… that my joy might be full.
“And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
Luke 24:31-32
Rich Forbes