Adjusting the Flow

On a recent visit to Indianapolis, I sat for some time in the chapel of Christian Theological Seminary listening to their baptismal font.  This font is like a fountain.  Set into the ground, water flows over the edge continuously.  I noticed that the water wasn't flowing evenly.  It cycled from rush to trickle and back.  Our spiritual lives can be that way, too.  I don't think the flow changes, but like a pipe with a valve, we open ourselves to the living water sometimes more than others.

Feeling the presence of God is a grace gift to us, not something we can earn.  However, Jeremiah 29:12-13 says, "...when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart."  Our openness to Christ matters in our awareness of His presence.  

Moments when we experience the loving presence of God in a powerful way were called consolations by the ancient church.  They are certainly to be sought out and they can be life changing.   A.W. Tozer in "The Pursuit of God" writes, "The Presence and the manifestation of the Presence are not the same.  There can be the one without the other. If we cooperate with Him in loving obedience, God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal Christian life and a life radiant with the light of His face."

Are you seeking Him with all your heart?