Why Doesn't God Show Up?

Have you ever wondered that?  You preach and preach and sing and sing and go to church and go to church and God doesn't honor a thing that you do.  He's no where to be found or He's just a trickle of life instead of a mighty rushing wind.  Let me share this deep, dark secret with you.  Are you ready?  No, you're not.  Get ready and then come back.  If what I am about to tell you doesn't sink in, there's no use you reading any further.  Go somewhere else and come back until you get the gist of what I am about to say. 

GOD WILL SHOW UP WHERE YOU ARE TO THE DEGREE THAT YOU SHOW UP WHERE HE IS.

I have been talking in the past few blogs about the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000.  I had wanted to write to you, today, about the overflow, the abundance that was produced by the Son of God.  However, I missed the most important part of the miracle.  Jesus did not show up in their synagogues or at their very command.  The people were busy following HIM.  They were seeking HIM.  They yearned to be where HE was.  They left the comfort of their homes, stopped what they were doing and went out and found HIM. 
Search and search and search as long as you want and you will never find in the Word of God where ANY follower of God came to Him and asked Him, "Lord, teach me to preach."  Yet, we have thousands upon thousands of seminaries attempting to do just that.  You will never find anyone coming to Jesus and asking, "Lord, teach me to lead worship."  Yet, many churches today will not even consider you a worship leader unless you have been to some special training school or belong to the "click" in their church.  Please quite shouting so loud.  I know I'm preaching real good right now.

What you will find that they did ask Jesus was this, "Lord, teach us to pray."  Luke 11:1.  You see, the disciples saw Jesus praying and realized that prayer brought him the power of God.  I hate to do you know what on your parade but get a load of this divine revelation.  Jesus was never ordained by the Jewish priests.  He never went to seminary.  He did go to a few cemetaries and raised the dead.  The theology He got was from the study that He gave to "knee-ology."  The disciples saw that and realized that prayer and a strong relationship with the Father was what brought the power that Jesus operated in.

Jesus said this in Matthew 6:6-But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.   Go where God is.  Quit waiting for Him to come to you.  Get by yourself and take off that plastic mask called religion.  Get real with God.  AND STAY THERE until you know that you know that you know that you and God have gotten it together.  Get real with Him when nobody is around to see how pious and holy you are.  Show up with God in the secret place and He will show up WITH you in the open.

The prayer closet.  Why isn't it a requirement to get a graduate degree in prayer?  Must we ONLY value a man or a woman if they bring a piece of paper that says they have completed four years of study?  My suggestion is to get alone with God for as long as it takes and allow HIM to show up in your life.  Then, like the five loaves and two fishes cry out "Lord, bless me, break me and send me out to feed Your sheep."

Then, do we dare allow God to change us to what He really called us to do.  Some of you need to step out of that pulpit and let someone with His presence in.  Some of you need to stop trying to lead worship because He really called you to play and instrument or teach Sunday School.  EW!  That's a bummer.  But, you make the call.  As for me, I stepped down a long time ago and said, "God, bless me, break me and put me where you need me to be."  But it started years ago getting up at 4:30 am to be with Him at His place------the prayer closet.