Joel 1:14c-15b…And cry out to the Lord. Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near,…
I was struck by these scriptures because of some insight they give into the Holy Spirit prompting us to cry out to the Lord for a fresh manifestation of His presence and activity. Pay close attention to the motivation given for crying out to the Lord. It says to cry out to Him because He is near. I think we all have found ourselves crying out to Him sometimes because it feels as if He’s far away, as far as manifesting His presence and power into a situation is concerned; but the truth is, when you feel prompted to begin to cry out to God at a heightened level, it is because He is near and calling us to participate in His purposes on the earth. He uses our crying out as the final push that gives birth to His manifest presence and power into a situation.
Here are a couple of fun scriptures:
Hosea 10:12, “So with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you.”
Isaiah 66:8c, “As soon as I am travailed, she also brought forth her sons. Shall I bring to the point of birth, and not give deliverance? Says the Lord.”
If God has planted the seed of the promise or a desire in your heart, and you now feel a strong desire to begin crying out to see that manifestation, it is not because it is slipping away and you are desperately trying to draw it back in. That strong desire should be encouraging evidence to you that God is near, the birthing is at hand, and it’s time for the last big push of faith for the manifestation to come forth.