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Knowing the time of your visitation – Part 1

By Austen C. Ukachi
14 October 2018   |   4:10 am
In Luke 19:40-44, Jesus wept over Jerusalem and rebuked the Jews for not knowing the day of their visitation. Because the Jews were undiscerning...

Austen C. Ukachi

In Luke 19:40-44, Jesus wept over Jerusalem and rebuked the Jews for not knowing the day of their visitation. Because the Jews were undiscerning, they had eyes but could not see; ears, but did not hear; hearts, but did not understand; they failed to recognise and embrace the Messiah when he visited. The consequence of their lack of discernment was that Titus, the Roman general in A.D 70, eventually destroyed Jerusalem. With the benefit of hindsight, we may be quick to criticise the Jews for their shortsightedness and indifference to the Lord Jesus. But is it not true that our generation also make the same mistake of failing to discern the day of our visitation?

The distractions this present generation faces, in my view, are far more serious than what the Jews faced in their time. Materialism, the deceitfulness of sin and the allurement of this age have blurred and made this generation so hardened and insensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord unveil our eyes to see, touch our hearts to understand and quicken our ears to hear so that we don’t miss out on his Second coming.

After a long period of captivity, as the Lord was about to institute the Passover meal, he forewarned the children of Israel on the need for readiness. They were to gird up their loins, put on their sandals on their feet, have their staff in their hands and to eat the meal in a haste, for “it is the LORD’s Passover.” What do preparation and readiness have to do with the eating of a meal? Preparation and readiness were imperative because the LORD’s Passover was a special event when God was set to do a new thing and when he was about to pass through the land. A posture of alertness was, therefore, meant to make them sensitive to the LORD’s presence.

In the New Testament, we see a similar preparation enjoined by the Lord Jesus Christ. In Luke 12:35-48, in the Parable of the Faithful Servant, the Lord enjoined us to prepare and be ready for His return. This time we are encouraged to gird our loins, keep our lamps burning, and to be ready like men who wait for their master. There is a special way of waiting for one’s master. To wait simply means to have an expectation, and to be watchful. If those who are expecting the return of their earthly master are always vigilant and ready, much more should those of us who are waiting for the heavenly King be more ready and prepared.

The greatest handicap this generation faces towards readiness for the Lord’s visitations is distraction. This age may well be called the Age of Distractions. We are constantly being distracted by the social media and trapped by other modern conveniences of technology. To be close to our God, we must deliberately extricate ourselves from all the social trappings of our environment and deliberately create space for God in our lives.

Spiritual alertness and sensitivity are necessary for our time if we must take advantage of the coming revival, which God is about to unleash on the Church. To be spiritually alert, we must be men of the Word and men of prayer. We must constantly study the Bible to know the times and season God has ordained to visit his people. We must be men of prayer so as to feel the pulse of the Holy Spirit to know what He is saying and what He is about to do. Contact:Pastoracukachi@gmail.com

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