“So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.” (Hosea 6:3)
I heard an elk bugling in the Aspens. It was such an otherworldly sound that I thought, how can this be real? I’m not a dramatic person, and I say this in all seriousness: my life was changed. How can I say I’ve lived, almost 60 years if my birth certificate is right, and I’ve never heard an elk bugle? Like the grinch, I think my heart grew 3 sizes!
I grew up in Houston, a metroplex of hot cement and urban sprawl. My childhood playground boasted a hot metal slide and a chain-link fence. I know how to navigate city streets. But a forest of Aspens and a cold mountain stream are foreign to me. It’s a shockingly different world when one can hear an elk bugle, or an owl, bigger than my dog, hooting at dusk, or see a lanky legged moose slowly grazing nearby.
God often speaks to me through moments in nature. When that elk bugle screamed through the woods, the hair on my neck stood up and instantly I understood: just as I’ve never experienced this sound before in all my days, I’ve also never experienced much of the spiritual realm that God wants to reveal. I’ve walked with God—passionately, intentionally—for 44 years my friends, but to be blunt, I don’t know jacksquat about the Kingdom and Power of Christ! I’ve never seen an angel but the Bible clearly states their existence. I’ve never raised anyone from the dead although it happens throughout the world today. Jesus said that we would do greater works than He did (see John 14:12) yet healing, miracles, and prophetic words are more the exception in my week than the norm.
The instant I heard the elk bugle in the aspens, I realized how little I know of the spirit realm. I cried out to God saying, Lord forgive me for being content with merely attending church and leading a little Bible study. Forgive my arrogance that I think I know my way around Christianity and around YOU! God, You are infinitely more than I can think or imagine. You operate in a realm that I’ve only seen tiny glimpses of, and You have more power, more glory than I can even dream of!
And here’s what’s funny and beautiful about the Lord: He said, I know, come on! Come on! My friends, God LONGS for us to press in. He longs to astound us, surprise us, delight us with His more. More wonder, more power, more glory and revelation. It is exactly as Jesus stated: “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” (John 16:12)
I hear some of you agonizing, “How? How do we press in, Margaret?” Rend your heart, not your garments. (See Joel 2:13) Get with God in an honest and real way, without a time limit. If you have people in your life saying, “naw, you’re fine where you’re at; just study harder, pray longer, go to church,” OMG get away from those people and find believers that press in through worship, that heal the sick, and brag on God’s goodness every day! Get with people who have God stories from THIS week, not just 20 years ago!
For too long I sat in a community that complained of rarely hearing God speak. Now I’m in community with people who cannot CONTAIN all the miracles and revelation Holy Spirit is releasing! God says, Come on! Come on, let’s go!
What do YOU say?
Learn more ways to press in to the presence of God with Gracious Living, creating a culture of honor, love, and compassion anywhere books are sold. Go to www.MargaretAllen.org/Mondays to sign up to receive this blog each week.