His Presence

Read 2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

What this speaks to me today

There was a revival dubbed the Hebrides Revival which happened on the Isle of Lewis off the coast of Scotland in 1949. It was marked by spontaneous church gatherings and great repentance across the island. People would suddenly feel compelled to go to the church at 11:00 PM or 2:00 AM without any announcement, and prayer and worship would continue for hours. Crime on the island nearly vanished, and the bars became empty as the churches overflowed. It continued for three years before abating, leaving the Isle and surrounding country changed.

How did that great revival begin? Peggy and Christine Smith, two sisters in their 80s, started praying twice a week in their cottage from 10:00 PM until the wee hours of the morning. They were concerned about the spiritual welfare of their town. Their prayers led to a local minister and several church members deciding to begin meeting in a thatched barn nearby to pray as well. They did this for weeks—the sisters in their cottage, the men in the barn—until one night a young man stood up and read from Psalm 24: "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? ... He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart." He closed his Bible and challenged the others, saying it was "humbug" to keep praying for revival if they themselves weren't even right with God. He cried out, "God, are my hands clean? Is my heart pure?"

At that moment, its said that the presence of God reportedly swept powerfully into the barn. The men were so overcome that some fell to the floor. Simultaneously, an "awareness of God" suddenly gripped the entire village. People who had been asleep in their homes woke up under a heavy conviction of sin; others were found walking out of their front doors, kneeling on the roads in the middle of the night, crying out for mercy for their transgressions.

I thought of this story when I read the verse this morning because this story exemplifies what the verse is saying: The presence of God changes everything. Prayer is great, but Presence is greater. When the Spirit of the Lord comes, there is power. The power to convict, to heal, to change lives, and to bring freedom from the bondage of sin. The Isle of Lewis had a visitation of the presence of God, and the island was transformed. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We can experience that same presence today; we simply need to seek it.

What is it saying to you?

• Reflect on a time when you were in the presence of God’s Spirit. Did you experience liberty?

• Reflect on how often you pray for your needs versus how often you pray simply for His presence.

What are we going to do about it?

Pray for the presence of God right now, this morning. His Word promises freedom; let's find it together in His presence.