Seeking God

Seeking God

So many folk these days go to meetings just to see the latest preacher or evangelist.  They are encouraged to do so by the extraordinary advertising put out by the organisers. Claims that we are “having revival”, or holding a “miracle healing crusade”. Maybe we are urged to come and hear the message of an evangelist so that “you too can experience miracles in your own life”. What is the purpose of the meetings? To get people healed? To get them saved? Or to put as many bums on seats as possible so we can pay the guest speaker what he expects? Many even charge to attend such meetings. In a hired venue this is excusable – but in their own venue ??

The real questions to me are those about expectation management in the first place, and then about being realistic about God. I expect you can tell I was in sales when I was working as I use phrases like “expectation management”. However, there is real truth and wisdom in the phrase. When excited and expectant organisers put words like ‘miracles’ on their advertising, the man in the street expects something more spectacular than ‘just’ a deaf ear cleared or opened; more than ‘tinnitus healed’.  They expect to see someone crippled in an accident or crippled by disease get up out of their wheelchair and walk. When they come and don’t see these spectacular things, then they leave disappointed and saying, “Told you so”.  The trouble is that while the man in the street is seeking the healing rather than the Healer, so is the average Christian. Even Christians rarely seek the Healer rather than the miracle.

As Christians we need to seek the Giver not the gifts. We need to seek His face not His hand. We need to set our expectation levels realistically because God will always exceed any expectation we may genuinely hold. It’s in the advertising that we err. When we advertise sensation above reality we try to show thrills above love. By all means hold a healing meeting but don’t promise a miracle healing meeting – even though that is what you may expect. It is then up to God whether or not He will give us ‘big’ or ‘little’ miracles. God knows exactly what is needed to heal the sick, to free the captive,  and to save the sinner at each and every meeting.

We must concentrate on seeking Him first rather than His touch, His hand, or His gifts.  To advertise and practice anything else is to restrict what the Lord may want to do.