Acts 3:19
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…”
The painting above depicts an interpretation of Acts 3:19. The bottom of the plant is grey and dry and may be likened to sin. A blue refreshing wave of God’s
presence comes to consume the dry plant and bring life. The plant is refreshed and revived by the wave of God’s presence and His Living Water, as seen by the green leaves and flowers. The hand of God holds the plant firm and secure, it rests in His steady arm being positioned exactly where it needs to be to receive His refreshing.
As our Apostolic Convention draws near may this image depicted here so beautifully by the artist be present in our minds. This is what we are expectant for, a time of refreshing and outpouring of His Holy Spirit. So many of us have been burdened by life and its stresses and things around us seem hopeless. As we look at our nation, the state of our economy, our families, our children, our marriages, our job situation or even
“Times of Refreshing” by Liana Hallett
our very walk with God things may appear dry and hopeless. It may seem as if there is no way out, no ray of hope, no relief from the heaviness of our hearts. But God has promised something else, something contrary to what our natural eyes may see or our natural ears may hear. He has promised us a time of refreshing and a season of jubilee.
In Acts 3:11-26 Peter and John spoke this message to the Jews who had witnessed them heal the lame beggar at the gate called Beautiful, instead of offering him the silver and gold which he had asked them for. Peter and John had come to offer this man something much more satisfying, much more eternal and of much greater value than that which he had begged for. The man had an encounter with Jesus and he was never the same not only in the spiritual sense, but also in the physical as healing had come to him.
This was a glorious moment not just for this man who had been healed and transformed but also for Peter and John who had shared Christ with him. Yet the onlookers could only watch in shock and awe. To them, it was Peter and John who had done this incredible thing. Their amazement and surprise gave Peter and John a teachable moment to show them Christ – after all He was the one who had the power to save, not them. They were not the ones on display here. And so Peter and John spoke about Christ and His sacrifice and how those same Jews had given Him over to be crucified – but fear not, this was all to fulfill the Word of the Father as spoken through His prophets time and time again.
Peter and John challenged the people to repent and turn to God so that a time of refreshing would come. What Peter and John spoke is a reminder to us all that a time of refreshing is promised to those whose hearts are set right before Him. Make no mistake our heavenly Father loves to and longs to refresh us and revive us but we play a vital role in this process by ensuring that our hearts are in the right place. Peter and John spoke a message of repentance and a changing of one’s ways first before any refreshing could come. We too must follow the same process even as we move into our own time of refreshing during this Apostolic Convention. God will hold up His end of the bargain but we must also play our part.
Even as we cry out unto the Lord for refreshing and revival, let us also surrender our hearts unto Him. Let us ask Holy Spirit to search our hearts and know us and lead us into the way everlasting. Let us examine our lives and our hearts and see the areas which we still need to turn completely over to Him so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
By Liana Hallett
[/column]
