A Time for Refreshing

Acts 3: 19-20 - “19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.”

When we begin to truly seek God there are a lot of things that will begin to happen, but one undeniable outcome is transformation. Our mindset, our heart posture, our daily way of life will look different. What is so great about this is how easy it is. The more we seek God, the more we will know God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7: 7-8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” God is our perfect heavenly father, and when we seek Him, He will reward us and allow us to find Him and know Him more. The more we know God, the more we will trust God. As we gain knowledge of His character, we will see how good and trustworthy He is. The more we trust God, the more we will surrender to God. By understanding His character and knowing Him more, it will just make sense to give Him more of our lives. I mean, if He can speak the whole universe into existence, He can surely steward our lives better than we can.

What is so great about this is that, while it is the natural progression of seeking God, it is also the process that leads us to authentic repentance. True repentance can only come from surrendering to God and surrendering to God ultimately comes from seeking God. While it can be painful to surrender to God, as it says in Acts 3, it will lead to times of refreshing. We will start to see hopeless situations become ones filled with hope, shame become glory, fear become courage. We will begin to see our lives transformed. We will find that His presence is the most refreshing and peaceful place to be. More than that, we will find it is where we are made to be.
 
The entirety of this transformation process tends to begin with humility. In its essence, seeking God is an act of humility. After all, we wouldn’t be seeking God in the first place if we thought we could do everything on our own. So, from this place of humility, we approach God in a posture of dependence. What is interesting though is the intention behind seeking God can be from a place of pride. Are we seeking God to actually know Him more or are we seeking God because we want something from Him? Unfortunately, all of us can say that there have been, and continue to be, times where we seek God just because we want something in return. When we start to notice this happening, it is important to start the process of repentance which will ultimately lead to more transformation. We shouldn’t view God as someone that grants our wishes but view Him as the perfect father that He is. When we adjust our view and see God rightly, we will pursue Him just to know Him more and spend time with Him. Then, because He is a good father that loves His children, He will do the things that are best for us. Seeking the Father will always naturally lead us to transformation and repentance, and with transformation, we can look forward to something new and refreshing every time.
 
Author | John Wesley