Becoming more at home through visitation
Series: Welcome home | Bible text: Luke 19:44
By the term «visitation» we understand a stroke of fate that is perceived as a test or punishment from God. In Luke 19:44 we encounter the word in the Bible and it refers to Jesus» visit to Jerusalem, with which he wanted to call people home to the heavenly Father. Based on personal stories, the potential of visitations and how they can bring us closer to God will be shown.
By «visitation», according to Wikipedia, we mean a stroke of fate that is perceived as a test or punishment from God. Areas are visited by storms or people by an illness or a crisis at work. Not infrequently, in the face of such visitations, we ask: «God, where are you?«or even perceive it as a remoteness from God. Quite a few people have thrown their faith overboard because of a visitation.
If God is good…
Epicurus, a philosopher who lived in 300 BC, made the following statement: «God either wants to abolish evil, but he cannot – then he is powerless and not God. Or he can and does not want to – then he is evil, basically he is a devil. Or he neither wants to nor can – which amounts to both conclusions at the same time. Or he wants it and can do it – then where does the evil come from?» The thinking premise behind this sentence is: If God were good, he would have to prevent visitation in the sense of painful blows of fate.
God is good!
In Luke 19:44, Jesus speaks about the destruction of Jerusalem, which became a fact in 70 AD, and uses the word visitation: «and they will level you to the ground, even your children within you, and will leave in you not one stone upon another, because you will have spent the time of your Visitation you did not recognise!» (Schl).
The word denotes the visit of a superior for care and assistance, but also for supervision and jurisdiction; Here it means the gracious visit of the Lord who offered Jerusalem repentance and salvation.. God visited the people of the city of Jerusalem in the person of Jesus Christ with the aim of calling them to Himself. But the inhabitants of the city did not recognise it! Could it be that God wants to draw us to Himself through visitation, but we do not recognise it?
C.S. Lewis says: «God whispers in our joys, he speaks in our conscience; but in our sorrows he calls aloud. They are his megaphone to wake up a deaf world.»
God is good! God is not a punishing God who punishes us with blows of fate. God is love. The only thing he wants is unadulterated communion with us. Because God is good, he suffers with us. Many years ago, when the dentist had to spontaneously pull two teeth out of our son Yanick, the dentist said: «The mothers usually suffer more than the children in such situations.» It is the same with our heavenly Father. He suffers with his children when they go through hard times. For him it feels like he is carrying the pain himself!
Human reaction
If we are unsure whether God is good or even believe in a punishing God, we will not recognise God in our visitations and will get into great trouble. I have in mind an adult person who has experienced such a visitation. This person has taken on a victim role, blames God and other people and carries bitterness and vulnerability. The key to a better future would be to leave the role of victim and seek God.
David was anointed king over Israel by Samuel in his youth. When Israel was at war with the Philistines, David was the only one who trusted God. With faith in God, he took on Goliath and defeated him with a stone from a sling. But no sooner had the rejoicing died away than he was hit by a mighty visitation. Because of morbid jealousy on the part of Saul, who still holds the throne, David has to hide in the desert for years and even join the hostile power of the Philistines out of fear. How must David have felt? Anointed king, the only one trusting in God and now running for his life. Hey, God, what are you doing? This visitation has the potential to throw away trust in God.
David did not. Many psalms written during this time testify to an intense search for God and exchanges with him. «His wrath strikes us for a moment, but his goodness surrounds us all our lives! The night is still full of weeping, but joy comes with the morning»(Psalm 30:6). In the silence of the desert, David learned to listen to God and was prepared for his great task. The difficult time of the Visitation has made him more at home with God. God is good even when I suffer a visitation.
Paul and Silas also experienced a severe visitation when they were thrown into prison for their faith. Imprisoned in the safest cell, feet in the block, they praised God (Acts 16:25). The two were so aware of the victory through Christ that they took the precaution of celebrating it! Unfortunately, in such crises we are all too happy to give free rein to our old instincts and feelings and think that we have the right to do so.
Someone recently asked if we need crises to grow spiritually. The Greek word verb for krisis The Greek word verb for krisis can be translated as assessment and decision. A crisis requires a decision. Who do I want to trust? Who is in charge of my life? Do I stand up with God’s help or do I remain in the victim mindset? A visitation is a crisis in which God visits me. Our task is to discover him. Companions can be an important help in this process. «What brings the «heavy bouquet» in wine, that special depth of flavour, is in fact the bitter hours in maturity.»(Hanspeter Wolfsberger).
The best thing is: God visited us all through Jesus Christ. He became man and lived among us. The only purpose he had in doing so is to call us home. Have you recognised him yet?
Possible questions for the small groups
Read the Bible text: Acts 16:23–40
- What did the visitation of Silas and Paul involve?
- What was their thinking premise that the two praised God in the most dire need?
- What might be the value of visitations in relation to our faith?
- Do we need crises to become more at home with God? How could it be different?
- Share about the experience of interviewee Walter St.. What can we learn from this?
