“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” Psalm 23:6

This is so true. Often at the moment we cannot see His goodness and mercy, but later as we look back it comes into focus.

So, in light of this,  I’ll follow up on the story of my muffler problem with my van. This morning the muffler fell off again, but this time just a short ways from home and I could drive home with the muffler dragging.

As I thought about what to do, it came to my mind that my neighbor had given me some ramps to drive a vehicle up on so I could look underneath better. I got those out, drove up on them and crawled under.

I could now see that there was a sleeve over the pipe coming from the engine with two bolts holding it on. So, I got my drill and a socket and was able to loosen the bolts, then lift up the muffler and slide that sleeve over both the muffler, and the pipe. I tightened up the bolts and there it was, a full repair!

Multiple God sightings showing God’s goodness. 1) It happened right next to my home. 2) My neighbor had given me those ramps. 3) The sleeve was there and I could loosen it. 4) I could then fasten the pipe and the muffler together solving the problem.

A minor thing in life but a reminder that God is at work in our lives in the big and little things; He is helping us whether we see it or not. It is good to remember to look back and see this, which strengthens our faith for future challenges: “As He helped me then, He will help me now!”

Picture: God reaches out to help us even in the mundane.

“Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.” Psalm 116:7

Your character, O Lord, is the basis of rest for us.

Your goodness surrounds us, giving us

air to breathe,

food to eat,

a place to sleep,

clothes to wear,

sight,

hearing,

taste,

smell,

touch,

love,

life,

light

and loveliness.

You have shared yourself with us in your creation,

which reflects your character

in complexity,

in beauty,

in practicality,

in variety,

in continuity

and faithfulness to the laws you laid down.

As you open our eyes to your goodness,

and through praise turn our focus away from the many blessings you give us,

to gaze on your lovely, pure, mighty and faithful character,

the worries, desires, lusts and cares of this broken world fade into the background.

They become opportunities to be transparent before you in confession,

the chance to praise you by faith,

the possibility to triumph in your provision,

and they are situations to demonstrate your grace on the stage of life.

Let us live in that beautiful reality!

Written in 2007

“O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.” Psalm 116:16

The sickness dropped on me suddenly, like the onset of darkness on a winter evening. Chills, fever, severe diarrhea; I was in bed for five days. It was painful, powerful—and productive.

During those days in bed there was a lot of time for prayer about what was on my heart: revival for myself, for all the workers here, for all the believers. And God started with me: He pulled back the curtain of my soul, revealing, in new understanding, the depth of the sins I thought I’d pretty much conquered. Yes, humanly speaking I was doing quite well in these areas, but God’s standards are much higher. If I want revival, it is going to be on His terms, not mine.

The Holy Spirit brought out, one by one, nine sins (mostly attitudes), which needed to be dealt with more severely—and I was glad to confess and surrender each on a new and deeper level.

The Holy Spirit went on to point out that even in wanting revival in my life, some of my motives were not pure. Along with wanting a fresh filling of the Spirit and desiring to be more useful in God’s hand to give Him glory, there was also the wish to be spiritually powerful so that others would admire me. That had to be confessed and repudiated. If I grieve the Holy Spirit (by sin) or quench Him (by not obeying His promptings), He will not work powerfully through me. He wants a clean channel in which to flow.

Revival comes through revelation of three things: A higher view of the beauty and love of God; a deeper understanding of my sinfulness; a broader, higher grasp of God’s grace towards us. Without these ups and downs, revival will elude us. Ask for it, embrace it, revel in God.

Picture: repentance in the light of God’s glory

“Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love…. Repent and do the things you did at first.” Revelation 2:5

The word “revival” has such a positive, attractive ring to it: spiritual breakthroughs, excitement, growth and a renewed closeness to God.  I’ve been praying and thinking about revival and what it looks like. And God gave me a little experience of revival this past week.

When I responded with impatience to a comment from Barbara, both she and the Spirit convicted me that this was wrong. And because I had been nurturing my first love for Jesus, He made me open to embracing this painful revelation of my sin and selfishness. Confession and repentance then brought peace in both relationships. It also made me more open to God.

That is what revival looks like: first seeing more and more of God’s goodness; then the uncomfortable conviction of a sin, which should lead to repentance. Then into the pleasant part:

a renewed love for God,

a wider understanding and wonder of His forgiveness,

and deeper joy in my walk with Him.

“Lord, help me to cooperate with you in your work in my life, spending time in worship, confession, reading the Word and prayer each day, so that I may have an ongoing revival, and thereby bring you more glory. Amen.”

Picture: revival is like the sunshine cradled in the dark arms of the tree which represent revelation of our sin, highlighting God’s warm forgiveness.