When God shows up...

What do you do when God shows up?  Ok so maybe he doesn't materialize in front of you in a locked room like he did his disciples.  Or perhaps he won't snap the heavens wide open and call out your name in the loud booming voice that God seems to have in our imaginations. But I do believe that he still shows up. 

He shows up when big things happen, things that no man or woman on earth could ever do alone.  I was able to witness God showing up yesterday.  It was completely amazing!  I can't explain what it looked like or even what it felt like but God showed up. 


I believe that we don't recognize when God shows up most of the time because we're not looking.  Or perhaps we're not sure what to look for.  But that doesn't change the fact that God still shows up.  When my children were only weeks old, Matthew had to have surgery and for my sake God showed up.  When a friend of mine went to a part of town that was very uncomfortable for her to go to, God showed up. When my dad was clinically without hope over a year ago, God showed up.  These are just a few instances of the times that I have seen God show up. 

Our verse for this morning is from Ephesians 3:20, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine... I know I stopped in the middle of that verse but just look at what that says - God is able to do more, bigger, larger, grander, more enormous things than we could even dream of.  He's able that's not the question.  If he's not showing up to you, perhaps it's because you're not looking.  Perhaps your eyes aren't looking for the stuff big enough for God to deal with. 

We often think God is interested in sports teams, but I'm not so sure he cares who wins the Super Bowl (sorry to all you Packer and Steeler fans).  But when our team loses we think that for some reason God didn't answer that prayer.  Is that really "immeasurably more"?  I don't think so. 

Today I want to pray that God shows up and that we recognize it, so we're going to start praying a prayer similar to one prayed in the new testament when the church first got started...

Lord give us boldness to proclaim your message and do all of the other things that allow people to see you when you show up.  AMEN. 

May you see God today. May you be filled with the Spirit to have eyes wide open to the times when God shows up in your life.  And may you dream big dreams of God!