I took a little hike the other night and the sunset over the half-frozen lake was just beautiful. But it was somber, too.
The lake is so hard and cold this time of year. I couldn’t help but think how similar it is to the world right now.
The world feels like it is blanketed with ice. It feels hard. And cold.
I couldn’t help but think of Jesus’ warnings in the Gospels. “Many will turn away from me… Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow COLD.” (Matthew 24:10, 12)
“…Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand… For this people's heart has grown HARD…” (Matthew 13:13-15)
I was meditating on this as I walked. The wind was still—eerily still. The cold was bitter. And, admittedly, my vibe was kind of dismal. 😞
Then I saw it.
It was a running stream pouring into a small opening in the icy lake. I could hear the Spirit say…
“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24)
The Lord was reassuring me that the world would not stay cold and hard forever. Like a small opening in an icy lake, He is pouring into the world through the tiny hearts still open to His Spirit.
The Spirit is “the river of the water of life…flowing from the throne of God…” (Revelations 22:1) And He is descending upon us from on high like a waterfall.
But this River does not roar. The Lord does not descend with a loud, clangorous splash. He is quiet and unassuming. He trickles into little hearts in little moments of prayer like a whisper—like a still, small voice—bringing peace.
This is how the Spirit will renew the face of the earth. The Living Water will fill the world from within, one heart at a time. The Son’s rays will penetrate the hardness from above.
It will slowly soften, until one day, the ice will crack. Then it will melt, giving way to a new Springtime—a new Pentecost on earth.
“There is a River whose streams make glad the city of God…” (Psalm 46:4)
Through that waterfall, God was showing me that these little, hidden moments—my walks, prayers, thoughts—were not so little after all. These moments are the means by which God pours into the world.
I decided to share this today because I know a lot of you are feeling kind of dismal like I was. You’re not sure what to do about the hardness of hearts and the coldness of faith that seems to blanket the earth right now.
The Good News is we don’t have to do anything but remain open to God’s Spirit in all of our little moments—in our thoughts, prayers, and decisions. He will do the rest.
“He sends His Word and melts them; He stirs up His breezes, and the waters flow.” (Psalm 147:18)
The sun is about to set on this ghastly era, my friends. But, then, a new day of righteousness and peace will dawn. And your little moments with God will help bring that about.
The devil wants you to think they’re insignificant because he know they’re his demise.