B E H I N D / T H E / B A R

Acts 3:20 carries one of my favorite phrases in all of Scripture.  Its a declaration that as we repent and turn to God that times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord.

I certainly know that in times when I’ve had to turn away from thoughts, words, or deeds that would hinder my relationship with God, I have truly felt refreshed as a result of my repentance.

Tonight I experienced a time of refreshing like I hadn’t experienced in a long long time.  The setting was intimate, the room was filled with people from all over our community, some of our dearest friends, and  even some neighbors from a couple doors down from our house were there.  My friend Jason Hallcox, sat a keyboard and for more than an hour (which really only seemed like 20 minutes) led us to a  place of worship where I hadn’t been in a very long time.

There were moments of rejoicing, and celebrating, and moments of contemplation, and even tears of gratitude for the love of God demonstrated in the giving of His Son as an atoning sacrifice for me.  I was refreshed, to say the least.

Years ago, while living in the dessert climate of Israel, I experienced physical dehydration on a number of occasions.   Problem was, most of the time I didn’t know I was dehydrated, until it was too late.  The process of rehydrating took a while, and regular consumption of copies water.

I think I discovered tonight that I’ve been spiritually dehydrated.  But in a few short minutes, in the company of other worshippers, and a man of God who knew how to lead us straight to the Father’s arms, I was refreshed, saturated, spiritually hydrated.  The theme of our worship seemed to focus on how much we needed Him, and how we belonged to Him and He belonged to us.   I’m telling you it was like drinking from a cold glass of water.

Its Good Friday, and tonight I’m not only thankful for the cross of Calvary.  Im also thankful that the veil of separation between God and humanity was torn in two on the day that Jesus died.  Because now you and I are able to find refreshing from the presence of the Lord in a very personal and perfect way.

if you’re thirsty, I pray He will not just quench your thirst but fill you and refresh you as you truly come into His presence this Easter weekend.