These thoughts began as a devotional piece some months ago, but I felt it was time to add a little to what a handful have previously read. May it be a blessing to you!
It was in 1956 that I first heard the chorus, Thou Mighty Christ. A.A. Anderson, to whom the Lord had given it, introduced it to us at Latter Rain meetings in Chicago. What a blessing it was then and to many since.
Thou mighty Christ come forth in me
My will my way, I yield to Thee
The barren sings a travailing song
O praise His name, it won’t be long.
The truth is, Jesus Christ indwells all believers, yet many don’t know it, or consider themselves unworthy of his indwelling. At times we may go through periods of seeming bareness of his indwelling, where we walk by faith with little consciousness of his glorious presence. However, Christ dwells (inhabits) in our hearts by faith. Truly Christ lives in you and me. (Ephesians 3:17). Paul’s prayer was that there would be a spiritual strengthening in our inner man so that the indwelling Christ would cause us to be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ causing us to be filled with the fullness of God.
It must be asked, “What of the times of testing, fiery trails, or of seeming endless times of bareness when God seems to be dead in our spiritual lives, and the heavens seem to be like brass?” It seems hard to believe that they are sent of our Lord for our betterment, yet they are as we learn to walk by faith and not feelings. One time I went for months with no consciousness of his presence (some experienced this much longer than months), with the “heavens seeming to be as brass.” Suddenly one day as I was rushing to catch a bus on the way to work, I caught a downpour of heavenly glory. It was as if the off switch was turned on, and that the deep valley of death had been filled in as if it never existed.
When my wife Dale and I were first married she used to go to bed with a million (not really) hairpins in her hair. One morning I awoke, took one look, and said to myself, “I’m married to that!” For days I had no feelings of love for her and then suddenly it returned in abundance. About the third time this happened, I clued into the reality that I loved Dale even when I didn’t feel that I loved her. What a blessing this gift of God has been to my life! This story has been shared many times during my years of public ministry with her blessings.
Norman Grubb has said that you don’t need to pray for revival because you have the “vive” in you. “Re” means to return, and “vive” means life. With his glorious life within each and all of us, we need to get our eyes off of ourselves. Self retrospect is self-centeredness. Rather we must gaze upon the indwelling Christ within.
Our hearts cry is for the Mighty Christ to come forth within each and all of us. The times of barrenness, the wilderness experience, will not last. There will indeed be an arising of the glory of our risen Lord within.
Isaiah 54:1 tells us, Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord..