Just as we pay each other visits, the Almighty has been known to visit his beloved. Like the visit of friends it is refreshing and often comes with gifts as an expression of care and love.
Can you recollect when you visited a friend or a friend visited you? What did you take with you? What did the friend bring to you? What sacrifice was evident in the visit?
If a friend travels from Minna to visit you in Port Harcourt, evident in that visit is the sacrificial risk the friend took regardless of the means of transportation. Part of the expense of the visit is cash ad care, time and token etc. during a friend's visitation, the friend at the time of the visit gives you attention. When a friend calls you on the phone, the friend may be giving you divided attention but a visit usually means the friend is there for you and you alone.
Those God visited remembered the experience throughout their lifetime! Imagine Moses and God's visit via the burning bush. Remember God's visit to the Israelites via the pillar of fire by night and pillar of cloud during the day; could they have ever forgotten that rare gift? If they forgot that, what of the visit via the passage in the Red Sea, the visit via Manna, the visit vis water from a rock!
With the indelible mark of the visits, wouldn't you like the Almighty to visit you? To aid your prayer, let's see 12 instances where divine visitation occured in the Bible.
In Genesis 18:3 (KJV), after Abraham recognised God in the three visitors:
3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
Note that Abraham did not say My Lords, he recognised God's visitation and addressed this triune visitor as one - My Lord. He pleaded with God to abide with him and God did.
And what did that single visit serve Abraham? When God visited Abraham, he experienced stability and peace. This was a man whose life had been besieged by crisis from doing it his own way. Remember how he devised a strategy of calling Sarah his sister instead of coming clean about her identity as his wife. As his half sister or sister, the king may very well take her over and indeed that was what he did but God visited the king and the king asked questions that led him to the truth. This must have been a chaotic time in Abraham and Sarah's life. Sarah must have been so upset; with the lie, she was now in the king's harem as his wife and Abraham had no say in whatever the king did to her.
Soon we saw a replay of that 'do it yourself' (DIY) strategy. This time, it was Sarah who was a negative beneficiary of the previous deception who deviced this one. She asked her husband to father children for her via her maid. Though this was a permitted practice then, this was not the will of God so it led to crisis as Abraham became caught in the web of jealousy.
But stability and peace made a grand entry and brought laughter into the life of Abraham and Sarah when God visited.
In Job chapter 38-41 when God visited Job out of the storm, he experienced restoration. Imagine a man that lost everything because Satan was in a self-serving journey of destruction! But God visited Job and restored him 100 folds!
In Matthew 1 when God visited Mary she experienced divine insemination and conception. She who knew no man conceived and brought forth. The man who would have put her to shame was visited as well and he embraced her instead of embarrassing her!!! Before Mary and after her no one has nor will experience such insemination yet you and I can still experience the power of divine conception and divine delivery.
In Matthew 14 when God visited the congregation they experienced overflowing abundance as 5 loaves and two fishes were transformed to a meal for 5000 with 12 baskets of leftover.
These were destitutes that had received healing but were still hanging around for more. With his visitation they ate their fill and must have been thrilled to see leftover.
In Luke 19 when God visited Zaccheus the tax collector, he experienced transformation.
Even today no one likes IRS or whatever name you have for the tax agency in your country. This man went the extra mile to sought God out. He couldn't squeeze through the people because they definitely would have used that as an opportunity to take a jab at him! He chose a tree and climbed but God so through his genuine desire to see God. He went the extra mile and visited him. The visit became a reason for people to talk about Jesus and Zaccheus' life was transformed.
Some say that the woman with the issue of God had fibroids. One with a terrible symptom of bleeding continuously. This woman must have been so unassuming. She did not fight to see him, she did not plead for laying of hands, she simply made her way through the crowd and went for the hem of God's garment!
How low can you get to touch someone's hem?! She was already on the down low. Can you imagine bleeding continuously. Even when I experience this for 3-5 days monthly, I feel so moody, how much more continuously!
In Luke 8 when God visited her, she experienced instant healing.
In Acts 2 when God visited the apostles, they experienced spiritual upliftment as they spoke in new tongues. Figure out ministers going on a retreat and experiencing God's visit manifesting as speaking in tongues. As if that was not enough the news spread like siderite and the church grew instantly. About 3000 devotees were added to the church in one day! Such miracle today would have necessitated a breaking news with the headline "Church grew from 30 to 3000 in one day!"
Brethren, we need to keep praying that our ministers and leaders will experience spiritual upliftment that will cause the work of God to grow in the land.
In Exodus 7-12 When God visited the Israelites their enemies were put to shame and destroyed as they experienced liberty i.e freedom. Many things enslave us preventing us from experiencing the full benefit of or relationship with God. Some bought homes but the mortgage has enslaved them, some rejoiced over new jobs only to find out that the job has overrun their lives, some gave testimonies about safe deliveries only to be crying for help and deliverance as the children have grown to become monsters. Like the Israelites, you can experience God's visit that would set you free.
In 1 Kings 17 When God visited Elijah, he experienced spiritual satisfaction as ravens fed him even in a state of retirement! Can you imagine God asking you to stop working and leading you to withdraw to an out of town location. Many will break down crying and lamenting yet God visited Elijah with food through birds!
How bad can it get! A woman has had 5 husbands! Not 5 boyfriends but 5 husbands and now she was single again. That is adultery on a very high level. She would have been labelled "high maintenance" and would have become a no go area for singles who are trusting God for stability in marriage. She has become a serial monogamist with a very bad husband turnover reputation.
But in John 4 when God visited the Samaritan woman at the well, she received the living water and her adulterous life became a thing of the past as she became a testimony and a witness for The Lord.
Mary and Martha knew Jesus as their brother's friend so they must have boasted, "Small thing! Jesus will wake him up!" But in disappointment, after waiting days, they buried their brother and entered the season of mourning. I sought for a miracle when my Mother transited but we must understand that Jesus' miracle for some may be calling His loved one home.
But this was not he case for his friend. After showing the emotion of man, he stepped into his place as God. In John 11 when God visited Lazarus, his maggot ridden body received life. I don't know what he did with the knew life but I knew he rose and breathed again!
In Luke 24 When God visited two men on his way to Emmaus their blind spiritual eyes were opened. They were on a journey and were shocked that anyone in the community could claim not to have heard about the rising of Jesus from the dead. Instead of Jesus just bamboozling them he saw through their spiritual blindness and went the extra mile to visit their home. This was no ordinary visit; their heart of kindness which led them to invite God to sup with them delivered spiritual sighted news to them.
In what areas do you need God's divine visitation? Prayerfully call upon him today.
Mrs. Omolola Omoteso-Famuyiwa is a minister who is passionate about sharing God's words for the healing of others.
