A Spiritual Opportunity

After we start following Jesus, we are apt to run out from under the umbrella of His presence.  And, in the same manner we are likely to find ourselves trying to drink from a stream that has run dry.  While we are never as aware of it as we might be, what keeps us going forward in our spiritual journey is a remembrance of our commitment to Jesus, the songs of faith which was for us like a marching band, our determination to be faithful, and what seemed to be an inexhaustible spiritual energy.  But, like an engine that comes to the moment of depending on fumes, we start to sputter and soon find ourselves at a spiritual standstill.

 

It is not an uncommon part of the journey of faith.  The danger is that we might give up, figuring that somehow we got misled.  Or, it is possible that we might somehow do a re-boot and fill our lives with the same things again.  But, as we know if we want different results at the end, something different must be put in at the beginning.  While this may be seen by some as a dangerous moment in the spiritual journey, it is also a moment of spiritual opportunity.  The old timers spoke of it as a "crisis experience" which had the potential to propel the believer into a deeper, more dependent walk with God.  It can be a moment of choosing to go back and do things like they used to be done, or it can be a moment for seeking the life of holiness and heart purity.

 

What is also true is the reality that we may be one who has walked as a follower of Jesus for decades and never really felt like we were satisfied with where we were on the journey.  Of course, there is a sense in which we should never be satisfied, but it is also true that our spiritual life can be one of such mediocrity that we find ourselves hoping and longing for something more.  To read the gospels and the book of Acts is to be shown that there is something more for those who will only put themselves under the power and authority of the Holy Spirit.