“Look Mummy! It's the man from the ice cream shop!” shouted one of our kids.
Sure enough, there was the owner of the local ice cream shop, going for a walk with some friends! He came up and said hello with a big smile. Our kids were so excited! They were surprised to see him outside of the space they normally confined him to… his workplace! Now when we go in to the ice cream shop, he gives them a big smile and there's a deeper relationship. He seems more like a real person to them.
I wonder if we sometimes do that with God… confine Him to His “workplace”: church on a Sunday morning! We expect to meet with Him there, and it's a place where He often does wonderful things! But what about at home on Sunday afternoon? What about on Monday morning… or Saturday night?
Jesus spent a lot of time walking around and interacting with people. He often met them on a dusty road, in the marketplace, in their homes, in their ordinary places of work… like a fishing boat on the shore. He didn't just sit in the synagogue and wait for people to come and find Him (although He did spend time teaching in the synagogue). He ate with them, walked with them, prayed with them, journeyed with them. Imagine getting to walk beside Him every day! But in His human body, He was limited to being in one place at one time… now that we have the Holy Spirit, He is literally with us everywhere, 24/7!
He wants to be invited into every part of your life, and to hear from you at all times of the day, and in all circumstances. When we start to invite Him to work in the seemingly ordinary and often mundane areas of our life, we will be surprised how much it deepens our connection with Him! He becomes so much more real to us when we see that He is always ready to step in, that He knows all the details of our lives, and He has the power to work in all things, not just when there's nice music and a good atmosphere on a Sunday morning!
Psalm 139:1-10
1O LORD, You have searched me
2You know when I sit and when I rise;
You understand my thoughts from afar.
3You search out my path and my lying down;
4Even before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, O LORD.
5You hem me in behind and before;
You have laid Your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
8If I ascend to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
9If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle by the farthest sea,
10even there Your hand will guide me;
Your right hand will hold me fast.