the same

it amazes me to see how God is the same. His word never changes, His promise never changes, His love never changes. as i've reflected on our 48 hours of prayer i see the same themes i've seen all through the 15 or so years i've been praying for this city. the amazing thing is the new way He expresses the familiar concepts. when i was at portland bible college we used to joke that God was like pbc cafeteria food...always the same, yet you never know what to expect.



we had a dhop meeting friday night to talk about what God said at our 48 and to pray for the one we're having in 2 weeks. there were some incredible themes that emerged from the last one, but more than that i really sense a shift. i don't think we're in for 'revival'. i'm totally convinced that God is coming to portland it will mean renewal. not in the 'toronto blessing' way, but in a transformation way. He won't just come to hang out, He's coming to abide.

this city has a spiritual fog over and around it, more so than many other places i've been. it blinds the mind to the clarity needed to hear and see God. as we were praying on friday i began to pray about this. in the same way i'm further blinded by turning on my brights while driving in fog, the light of God in us never seems to illuminate this city. i was praying that the Lord would come with His brightness and glory and burn away the fog over this city. that's when i saw Him.

i saw Jesus standing on the west hills that overlook the downtown/historic center of portland. He was huge...maybe 80 or 90 feet tall, and i mostly just saw His feet. as soon as i saw Him He said, 'when I come I will bring justice. as I burn away the fog it will mean exposure, and my coming will bring a spirit of repentance to this city. not just for the unsaved, but for everyone.'

i suddenly had such a clear picture of His fierce and jealous love. He comes sometimes in anger and judgment, but not toward us. His vengeance is against those things that keep us from knowing Him and living in His love. repentance is defined in two facets; one is that it is agreeing with God. that means if God calls it sin, evil, wrong, destructive, that you agree with what He said. in that agreement is the second facet, which is to turn away from those things. the spirit of repentance comes when judgment comes because God really will destroy the things that keep us from knowing Him, but before He does He offers His hand, and to take that hand we must let go of those other things we hold on to. Those are the things He will destroy, and if we don't let go of them we too will be destroyed.

sobering, fearful, amazing, exciting and beautiful all at the same time.