Everything nowadays has to have a wow factor attached to it. It must be instagram worthy to matter. (I used the word “nowadays”. Does that mean I’m old?) I think it would be interesting if God came quietly to an over-saturated, information-overloaded, entertainment-driven generation. And by generation, I mean the definition referring to everyone alive at a given time.
We sing songs in worship that say, “Come like the fire. Come like the wind. Come Holy Spirit, we welcome You in!” And as we sing, we picture Acts 2:4. Wind! Fire! Talk about a wow factor. The day of Pentecost was full of W-O-W! And He has moved wow’ishly historically. Many of the moves of God of the past have included much WOW.
But what if God comes quietly? Will we still recognize Him?
What if His visitation is more like a gentle rain and soft breeze than a hurricane? If He comes like green pastures and still waters, will we recognize Him? Will we want that?
What if instead of dancing and jumping and shouting in the midst of low lights and loud music we are found in awestruck silence, sitting ever so still, afraid to move because His presence is so thick and heavy?
Maybe this awakening will strip away the fanfare and be less about lightning and thunder and more about a deep knowing that He is God. Maybe it’s less about getting knocked off our feet and more of a gentle touch that echoes, “I’m here,” and it’s enough to satisfy the weary soul because it’s quietly full of Him.
Have you ever had the sense someone was watching you. Perhaps you’ve even sensed it so strongly that you turned around to see if there was anyone there? Maybe God is coming by awakening sleeping souls with the slightest sense of Himself that makes them curious enough to look around and search for Him.
“Revival” isn’t the end, where we sit back and say, “Yay! He came! We felt Him and it was awesome. I’ll never forget that! The end.”
Revival isn’t the end of the story. It is just the beginning. The reason for Acts 2:4 wasn’t to give them something to post on Instagram. It wasn’t just for an emotional feeling but for power to do Acts 2:14, where we find Peter preaching to the curious crowd, followed by Acts 2:41, where the curious crowd turned into believing followers.
Revival happened so the real work of turning believing followers into committed disciples could commence, which is what we see in Acts 2:42. `
His presence comes with a purpose far beyond just an experience. The glory we are all longing to encounter is only the beginning of the real work of rescuing the lost and discipling the rescued. Introducing people to God is not the end; it’s the beginning of helping them grow up spiritually.
Maybe God won’t come this time through WOW. Maybe God will woo the attention of a generation who can’t put their phone down away from their screen and into the quiet AWE of His presence, so they don’t confuse the reality of a living God with just another endorphin surge from their sensory addiction.
Some may say I’m crazy for thinking this. That I don’t understand this generation at all. Some think God is going to have to be over the top, bigger and louder than this hype culture we’re surrounded by. He’s got to show off with something extra spectacular or this entertainment-soaked generation won’t even pay attention.
What if something can be supernatural without being spectacular?
God knows best what we need. Maybe what we crave and don’t even know it in the midst of the chaos of our culture is the quietness of His goodness. No one can manufacture that with lights and hype. Maybe He’ll come to us quietly while He reveals Himself in ways we can’t describe so we won’t even be able to post about it. All we’ll be able to say is, “He’s real.”
What if God comes quietly? Will we recognize Him?
The woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5 pressed in through the crowd, touched Jesus, and received her healing without anyone knowing. Jesus had to ask, “Who touched me?” He didn’t know who it was or what happened. The disciples thought He was crazy because everyone was touching Him, so they didn’t know who it was or what happened. If Jesus hadn’t asked and she hadn’t come forward, no one that day would have known anything transpired because a miracle happened quietly. Let that sink in.
Don’t miss the supernatural because you think it needs to be spectacular. It wouldn’t be unusual for God to come to this tech-saturated culture in a stripped down way so we don’t confuse His touch for just another feeling or emotional experience. He knows how to get our attention. It doesn’t have to be spectacular. Trust me, you’ll know Him when He comes, even if He comes quietly.