There are times throughout scripture where we see God manifesting Himself to individuals. We know He is always present because one of His attributes is omnipresent. In Jeremiah 23:23-24, God is everywhere, and He is all-powerful. No one can hide from the Lord. Yet, there are times when He shows up in a personal way, not just a God who is watching over everything, but a God who is revealing Himself to me. When He manifests Himself to us, our awareness of His presence is awakened to Him and truth.
Jeremiah 23:23-24 “Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.”
In Daniel chapter 3, we find three Hebrew young men who are living in captivity in Babylon. They were among the brightest and best of the Hebrew young men that were captured. They were being trained and schooled to be of service to the King. As they learned, grew, and worked in the palace they never stopped worshiping the God of Israel. This caused others to be jealous of them and seek to have them destroyed. When they would not bow to the image of Nebuchadnezzar, they were thrown into a fiery furnace. While God had never left them, here He shows up in a profound way that not only protected them but caused the King to believe in the Most High God. In verse 25, the King looks in and sees four men, one who was the image of the Son of God! God showed up in a miraculous way.
Daniel 3:23-25 “And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men lose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
In Acts chapter 9 Saul (Paul) we find the Son of God, Jesus, making himself known to Paul. Paul was a zealous Jew. He participated in the murder of Stephen and when he proceeded to travel to Damascus to persecute other Christians, God shows up! This zealous Jew has an experience with Jesus that changes his life forever. Paul becomes one of the greatest followers of Christ of all time. His change gave rise to multitudes coming to Christ. From that moment on his life was surrendered to winning people to Christ.
Act 9:1-5 “And Saul, yet breathing out threatening’s and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutes: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”
The greatest manifestation of God for us was when He became flesh. He came to earth to make Himself known, to experience being a man, to put on this robe of flesh, and die on a cross for our sins. This “showing up” was to all men and for all men who would believe. Through this “showing up” we see God in the flesh as the miracle worker in person, the master of nature when he calmed the raging seas, and the redeemer of humanity on the cross.
John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
After His death, He showed up in His resurrected body. This “showing up” proved He had power over death and the grave. This is so important for our faith. From this, we know that we too will live forever. This body will die and decay, but our spirit lives forever with Him if we are saved.
All throughout scripture, we find God showing up at just the right moment. He was in the burning bush in Exodus chapter 3, convincing Moses to lead His people to the promised land. In Exodus chapter 14, God parts the Red Sea for His people to flee from Pharoah. In II Kings chapter 2, God shows up in a whirlwind to give Elijah his entrance to Heaven. In Job chapters 37,38, and 40, God speaks to Job in a whirlwind. In I Samuel chapter 3, God speaks to a young boy, Samuel, in the still of the night. In Acts 8:26-40, God shows up to send Philip to witness and lead a man to Christ. It was 47 miles between Jerusalem and Gaza where the man was reading the book of Isaiah. Philip goes directly to the man sitting in his chariot and explains the scripture to him. The man repents and is baptized. God then transports Philip to Azotus where he continued in his preaching to win others to Christ.
Act 8:39-40 “And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.”
God never ceases to amaze me how He works things out for His glory. He is always showing up in our lives too, but I fear we miss out because we are so busy with the cares of this world that we don’t recognize His appearance. He speaks to us through His word, through the songs we sing, or expository preaching. Have you ever been in a service where every word, every action seemed to be directed to your heart? That’s God! Listen, do you hear Him?
