Recognizing divine visitation

There is a lot of talk I hear about "divine visitation," and God visiting our cities. My deep concern with some of this is that we are claiming a "visitation" where the "bar" is way too low!!  How do we know when we are experiencing the kind of "visitation" of God that will bring true societal transformation?

Is divine "visitation" a time when we simply "feel" His presence? Often, those are times that only last as long as the particular meeting we are attending. When we leave the meeting, there is no lasting impact on the community around us. Sure, we have been touched, but even then, what lasting change has happened in our own lives as a result of that "visitation?" Do we go home pretty much the same as when we came? Do we then say that God has visited us? Visited our community?

The "visitation" of God, or maybe better phrased, the "habitation" of God in our communities that brings true transformation, is something that has a greater impact than a single meeting. In the Hebrides revival, the presence of God was so powerful that people would fall on their knees in the streets crying out to God to have mercy on them. In one case, during WWII, a U-Boat captain off the island of Louise was instructed to do sabotage work. However, within a certain distance from the island, his weapons would not work. Outside that area, they would work fine, but not inside. Supernatural lights would be seen by everyone hovering over houses where people were praying. This kind of "visitation" is pervasive. There is a wide-spread awareness of God's presence. It is powerful. It impacts every area of society in ways that mere programs cannot.

Let us be careful to not "lower the bar" of our expectations. If we settle for a "visitation" simply in our meetings, we will settle for that, and miss the greater thing God wants to do by His habitation with us.

You can see the story of the revival in the Hebrides by going to The Sentinel Group website at: www.glowtorch.org. or go directly to: http://glowtorch.org/FireQuest/HebridesIslandsScotland/tabid/2684/Default.aspx