19Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,20and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before...Repentance means that we confess our sins and make a heartfelt effort to turn away from our shortcomings and where we miss the mark. If our hearts are right before God, then we can experience what Peter terms, "times of refreshing"!
Indeed, God wants to refresh and restore us, to renew our hearts toward Him. God will do that inner work as we approach Him in an atmosphere or worship and wonder, in reverence and awe coming before Him - putting aside the cares of this life to experience the care of a loving Father, who draws us to Himself, who expresses His love toward us, and who desires for us to walk with Him daily.
The Lord wants us to experience Him in fresh and exciting ways. He is expressing Himself to us, and we have to be sensitized to His presence. Here are some highlights from Psalm 34 that can encourage us to abide in Him:
1 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.2My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad.3Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.and8Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Taste AND see - a reference to 2 of our physical senses. I think this can challenge us to seek out the reality of God's presence with us each day.
I came across a story over the weekend that really drove the point home about creating the right atmosphere, or conditions, for experiencing the Lord.
There's a study, which is published in the journal, Flavour, where 35 participants used taste tests to rate yogurt eaten with plastic cutlery. According to a report on the British website, The Telegraph, yogurt eaten with a silver spoon tastes more expensive and creamier than with lightweight imitation cutlery, according to the scientists.
Their study also showed that the color of cutlery can make yogurt sweeter, with colors that match food producing the best results.
There could also be a reason other than good manners for not eating using only a knife – cheese taken from a knife rather than fork was rated as more salty.
Dr Vanessa Harrar, the lead author of the new study, said: “Subtly changing eating implements and tableware can affect how pleasurable, or filling, food appears.
“This may be used to help control eating patterns such as portion size or how much salt is added to food.”
Now, this reminded me that the conditions of our dining experience can help shape our perception of the food. And, I do believe there's a spiritual application - the conditions, or atmosphere, of our time with God can help shape the effectiveness of our experience with Him. Take for instance, our quiet time - if we're preoccupied with the distractions of life or all the stuff we have to do in a particular day, if we come to the Lord with a harried mindset, then I believe that reduces the connection we make. If we multi-task our spiritual experience, trying to combine it with something else, then we lessen our "tasting" of His presence and we do not "see" what He wants us to see.
Atmosphere is important. The Word of God travels to the ears and hearts of listeners when the proper conditions are set. Worship is regarded as a way to establish the proper focus when we come into God's house. A sense of reverence and awe will help us to appreciate more deeply the Spirit of God as we come before Him to worship - corporately or individually.
The Lord wants to illuminate our senses toward His presence. The right atmosphere makes a huge difference in making sure we are abiding in Him.
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