On Saturday morning I walked outside like I normally do on the weekends. I headed out to the back porch to fill the bird feeders. As I stepped outside, the atmosphere arrested me. Something was very different.
Atmospheres have always been important to me. God had given me the ability to rightly discern atmospheres since I was first born again. I can walk into a home and tell if there is strife, deception, or anger immediately. I don’t really remember a time of being saved when I didn’t have a strong sense of discernment concerning atmospheres.
I once visited ORU and when I stepped out of my car, the atmosphere of FAITH stopped me in my tracks – it was tangible. A few days later I found myself in another state and city – there, the presence of evil was evident in the atmosphere. Easily discernable. This morning was just like that. The atmosphere was so heavy it was quite easy to discern.
I stopped on my back porch and listened. I took a deep breath and tuned into the atmosphere that surrounded me. There was a gentle wind blowing and the atmosphere was saturated with peace. I sat down on my porch swing to take it all in. As I did, Brailee, my little twelve-year-old granddaughter said, “Wow, Nana, today is refreshing!” I don’t know that I have ever heard her say anything like that in her life. But she was correct. The atmosphere, filled with peace, was indeed refreshing.
The Bible says, “Times of refreshing comes from the presence of the Lord.” 
The Amplified Bible says it like this, “that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord.”
In this scripture, the word, times, is kairos – or an appointed time, an opportune time, a certain moment in time.
This is what I was feeling in my spirit on Saturday, an appointed time in God. A time of refreshing. A time of recovering from the effects of some things I had walked through. A fresh breeze that brought great refreshment. It felt wonderful. I am so thankful Brailee felt it too. The refreshment didn’t immediately dissipate, no this atmosphere lasted all day Saturday, it did not cease.
As I pondered on this over the weekend, I felt this wasn’t something that was just a personal encounter for me or even a message for just a particular day. I felt it was God showing me something to come…and something that could remain if we cultivate the atmosphere for it.
This type of refreshing comes from the tangible presence of God. We experience that kind of tangible presence when we spend intimate time with God. It doesn’t come from rushing in and out of church. It doesn’t come from listening to a preaching message. It comes from times of intimacy. Times of seeking the face of God. Times of hungering for His presence. Wanting to be in His tangible presence more than anything else. Worship is also intimacy with God and causes His tangible presence to arrive.
Life gets busy and we don’t always make time to be intimate with God. I get that. Ministry is busy. But if ministry gets too busy to have quiet, intimate time with God, then it is too busy, and something needs to change. Lately, for me, life and challenges have seemed to take up all my time. This week, I can feel God tugging at me, to come away with Him. I feel Him drawing me to Himself. This amazing God we serve wants to spend time with US! Isn’t that awesome.
Today, I believe there are many of you who may need a time of refreshing. Perhaps you have walked through some heated challenges, and you are weary. You just need God to breath on you and you need to be able to breath in His presence. If that’s you – He is right here. His presence is available to you. Perhaps, like me, He is even drawing you today. If so, enter into His presence. In His presence if FULLNESS of joy. In His presence is times of refreshing. Peace is in His presence. Wisdom and direction are in His presence. Enter in today and partake of all He has for you in this season.
