CAN'T YOU SEE IT?

Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God was coming, He answered them "The Kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, 'Lo here it is', or 'Lo there', for behold the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you"

Luke 17:20-21

Why can't we see the Kingdom of God? It's here, why can't we see it? Are we blind? Or are we looking in the wrong place?

We're obsessed with signs. We look for evidence of "supernatural power." But the signs and the power only show up when we first seek the Kingdom by faith, and walk in its light.

When that storm came down on Galilee and the ship which they were sailing began to toss and turn and take water, the disciples could see only the storm. They panicked like we do. Jesus looked through the storm to the Kingdom of his Father and took command. "Peace, be still!"

Many storms in our lives would yield to us, if we would discern God's kingdom in the center of the dark clouds.

When that great multitude of people became hungry, and there were only 5 loaves and 2 fish, the disciples could see only depressing need, and throw up their hands in despair, "How can we feed these people with bread here in the wilderness?"

Jesus sees through the hungry multitude to the Kingdom of his Father. . He thanks his Father for five loaves and two fish and begins to break the bread, until there is not a hungry stomach in that place.

The Kingdom of God is here. The River of Life is flowing through this world in a million places. But we keep stumbling along doing things our way, and asking God to bless our kingdoms of flesh.

John the Baptist sits in prison and hears that Jesus keeps wasting his time with the misfits, the rejects of this world. When will he show his power and start making things happen? Exasperated, John sends messages to Jesus "Are you really the Messiah or do we have to look for someone who can do the job?"

"Go and tell John what you see and hear: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the good news preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended by me."

That's the Kingdom of God.

John the Baptist was looking in the wrong place.

The Kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, "Lo here it is, or lo there, for behold the kingdom of God is in your midst, it is right here! Open your eyes. Why can't you see it?"

What a difference it makes when our eyes begin to open, when we learn to see the Kingdom right where we are instead of forever looking for signs. What a difference it makes when we open our eyes to the glory shining right through the present chaos.

"But I don't see God working in my life."

Does that mean the kingdom isn't here?

"Nothing seems to ever come of my ministry. Everything I touch seems to fall apart."

Does that mean the kingdom isn't here?

You are not looking for the Kingdom of God, you are looking for "supernatural blessings" to hide the nakedness of your insecure soul.

And He said "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground and should sleep and rise night and day and the seed should spout and grow he knows not how. The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear, but when the grain is ripe at once he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come." Mark 4

Does the man dig up the seed every morning to see if it's growing? Does he stay up nights walking around his garden coaxing the seeds to grow?

He goes to bed at night and sleeps and gets up in the morning and goes on with his work, and the seed grows, he knows not how, first the blade, then the ear, then full grain in the ear. When it's mature, he harvests it.

The man or woman whose eye is on the Kingdom of God does only two things: they scatter the seed, and when it is ripe, they harvest it.

Just as our Master scattered the seed, and, when the End comes, will harvest it, so we fit into his program and let him worry about the outcome.

Everything, except our obedience, is God's responsibility.

We don't make that seed grow in another person's heart, we don't cause that person to grow up in the image of Jesus. Who of us could ever say, "That man or that woman is my work."

We exhort, we rebuke, we encourage, we watch out for people who are being misled by the false shepherds, but we never, never, never get inside a person's heart and tamper with the seed that has been planted there.

Once the seed is in a person's heart it is Holy, and I better not mess with it. For if I reach into that person's heart it is like Uzzah reaching out to touch the ark and steady it. Uszzah got burned, and so will I. The marvelous things which God is doing on the earth right now are being done without our "help."

At this very moment the Spirit of God, is causing hearts to come under conviction, opening the eyes to reality, helping them hear the voice of the Shepherd, changing and healing lives. He is doing all this without our help.

All we have to do is fit in at the place where God puts us.

Do that simple thing that he has given us to do.

If we get our eyes off the seed we planted, off the ground where we planted it, off the signs of its growth we keep craving, and get our eyes on the Lord, he will cause the seed to grow without our help.

Jesus' primary focus was not on preaching healing. His primary focus was on his Father. He was so certain of His Father's goodness that he knew exactly what to do when the storm came. He wasn't overwhelmed by that multitude of hungry people, and he wasn't depressed for three weeks because John the Baptist disapproved of his approach. He was so alive in His Father, so full of love for his Father, that everything he touched was touched by the Kingdom.

Our eyes need to be on Jesus in the same way that his eyes were on his Father. When our eyes are on Him, we will know what to do in the storm. We will know what to do when people come to us with overwhelming needs. And when people dislike us or misunderstand what we're doing, we will stay focused.

Perhaps you're thinking, "But I'm not Francis of Assisi, I don't have his vision. Maybe St. Catherine saw Jesus, I don't see Jesus." The promise Jesus makes is not confined to "spiritual giants," the promise Jesus makes is that the simplest believer who abides in His word, tries to live his mercy, will live in his presence. He says "I will come to that person and I will manifest myself."

The Lord Jesus will manifest himself, if we but stop looking for signs, and concentrate on walking in the light right where we are. Our focus is not on our "ministry," causing things to happen, making people's lives change; our focus is practicing the presence of the Lord right where we are.

If we concentrate on abiding in the vine, on conforming our lives to His burning truth, we will bear fruit. We will put in the seed, and leave its future to God.

Open my eyes, Lord, that I may behold your glory….and see the lost ones as you see them. Tenderize my heart so that I may reach out without fear to the wounded one by the roadside, the forgotten one who lives next-door.

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The editor:

You will find it helpful to read the above message over several times during the week.