Times of Refreshing in God’s Presence

TIMES OF REFRESHING OF GOD’S PRESENCE
Acts 3:19 Now change your mind and heart towards God and turn to him so he can cleanse away your sins and send you the appointed times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.

The appointed times (Kairos) of refreshing (anapsyxis; a recovery of breath, revival) from the presence of the Lord speak to us firstly about the sovereign outpourings of the Holy Spirit as seen throughout the history of the Church, and they also speak to us about our practice of personally abiding in the presence of the Holy Spirit through our faith. 

The sovereign outpourings of the Holy Spirit for the Church began with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and they have continued in the many revivals in different times and in different places throughout history including those moves of God that have occurred in living memory over the last couple of generations. 
The personal times of refreshing for us is the practice of abiding by our faith in the presence of the Holy Spirit through a desire to draw close to God with a conscious focus of our mind and heart upon his nearness to us. This is beautifully typified in David’s remarkable Old Testament heart to heart experience in the Psalms where he yearns for the presence of God in his life. And even though David did not have the New Testament gift of the Holy Spirit as we do, his experience was prophetic of our abiding with Jesus and the Father through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Adam began life dwelling constantly in the presence of the Lord until he was tempted by darkness to put God out of his mind and act as if God was not there, or that God could not see him. He acted in an independent self-determination in his own self interest to foolishly take for himself what only God could give him, a mature knowledge of good and evil (Hebrews 5:14). He ate the fruit of the tree of good and evil and in disobeying God this way he took to himself a darkened and distorted interpretation of what was good and what was evil, because it was focussed upon a self-centeredness of life rather than a God centeredness. He lost his peace and his sense of oneness with God and then the hidden human flaw of hostility toward God (Romans 8:7) was exposed before God which shocked Adam to his core so that he ran and hid in his naked shame from God. Adam played hide and seek with God - God looked for him and called out to him asking him where he was. 
Genesis 3:9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"
So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."
God has been calling out ‘where are you?’ to mankind from that time on and humanity still hides from the presence of a loving God, putting him out of their minds. He calls us to rethink and turn back again and embrace his presence. 

God’s heart for all mankind always was and still is that we should live in his presence. His presence always was and still is the reality of life for all of humanity, but man has learned to hide from that presence and to put God out of his mind. So while God is always present for us we can choose to not be present for him. That mindset of separation and isolation is the most tragic kind of suffering there is. Whatever kind of suffering we experience, and there are many, can be endured if we know we are in the presence of the Lord. Paul tells us to reckon yourselves alive to God (Romans 6:11). We are alive to God and his presence. To reckon a thing means to render an account of something as true and accurate and to live your life accordingly.

The suffering which seems more real and immediate is the kind that collides with our outer senses because of the vulnerability of our limited humanity when it is under stress. This kind of suffering can take up all our attention and cause anxiety and mental and emotional fatigue. The whole world has experienced that kind of suffering over the last two years of pandemic and now in the current threat of war because of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and also in the aftermath of deadly floods along our East Coast.

Why now? 
‘So that the appointed due seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord 
At the time of its greatest need for comfort and care the world is being shaken and shocked in every way. Now is a time for receiving the very thing that we were created for from the beginning – the presence of God with us in our inner being. 
God is with us in our times of collision with the sharp edges of a hard world. 
He lives for that closeness. It was because of his love for that closeness with us that he sent us Jesus, our  Emmanuel, ‘God with us’ to be your strength in that difficult thing you are facing now. You will be given the grace of the presence of God in that place of struggle. He will cover your weaknesses and vulnerability with his mercy and love. 

Psalm 139:3 You know everything about me Lord. You know what I am going to say even before I say it. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too great for me to understand! It’s all too wonderful for me.
I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

There was an appointed time (Kairos) when God heard the cry of his people who were under the yoke of slavery in Egypt and he delivered them out of bondage and said to Moses ‘my presence will go with you and I will give you rest’.
There was also an appointed time for God to send the Holy Spirit upon all flesh (all of humanity) to join us to the life of Jesus.
There have also been appointed times of the shaking of all things as in the Reformation and other moves of God so that God could expose what things needed to be reordered according to the way of his Kingdom (That includes the reordering of our own minds and will according to his will – what remains and what has to go).

My prayer is that at this time of God hearing the cry of his people and at this time of shaking that there would be a reordering of things according to the way of his Kingdom and that he will once more pour out his Holy Spirit on all flesh, and that he will say to us ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest’. My prayer is also that in the meantime we would draw near to God with the faith that we are indeed abiding in him and in his presence because his Holy Spirit is present with us awakening us to become present with him. Here is a prayer to be said many times a day.
I welcome your loving presence Lord, and your powerful work on my behalf in the world of the unseen

Exodus 33:12 My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest, for you have found grace in my sight and I know you by name

Psalm 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;

Psalm 17: 6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words and wondrously show your steadfast love,

Psalm 17: 8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,

Psalm 17: 15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord.

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he 
trusts in You.

Isaiah 54.10 My covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 55.6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them… and no one will take them out of my hand.

Isaiah 49.16 I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.

Colossians 3:2 Your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Genesis 15:1 Do not be afraid; I am your shield and your very great reward. 

Jeremiah 31:3 I have loved you with an everlasting love. 

Matthew 28:20 I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. 

Ephesians 3:20 He is able to do far more abundantly than all that I ask or think, according to his power at work within me,