Devotional: October 21-27, Robert Whitlow, Elder
“And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.”
Luke 5:17
During this time of fasting, I hope you have prayed based on fresh revelation received during your times with the Lord. In my previous devotional on fasting (which some of you may not yet have memorized), I mentioned that one of the “whys” of fasting was to achieve a God-honoring purpose. The above passage has been one of my recent requests for St. Giles.
Now, we know that God is omnipresent, i.e., he is present everywhere a once, working as the ultimate multi-tasker (Acts 17:24). He cares for the sparrow and charts the courses of the stars. Second, he is in each believer through the person of the Holy Spirit, a reality that, if grasped, will profoundly affect the way we look at ourselves in the mirror and live our lives in the world (1 Cor. 6:19; Eph. 1:13).
But there is another aspect of God’s presence described in Luke 5:17. Sometimes, God manifests his presence for a specific purpose. During those times he works sovereignly to heal the sick, save the lost, and accomplish more in a moment of grace than a lifetime of self-discipline can obtain. When that happens our job is to receive and rejoice.
People at St. Giles need healing. The world at our door needs salvation. We all need greater, deeper, more lasting personal transformation. Let’s ask the Lord to manifest his presence for his glorious purpose.
