God is at Work

“God is at work; are you ready?” Recently I had a conversation with a woman who works with Alpha International and she shared that those are the words she is passing on to churches in Canada. Something is happening that can only point to a new revelation of God’s power among a generation of people who either don’t know him or have drifted far from him.

The fact that this brief conversation took place at a church where nearly 50 people were getting baptized seemed to confirm this movement. It was the third such baptism service that I have attended at a local large evangelical church in my community in Western Canada. In my connection to my workplace which is a Christian school, I have observed a similar work of God among students over the past five years in particular.

The question I am drawn to is whether or not this is a new movement of God. I’m old enough to have observed and experienced previous revivals or surges of interest in faith. As a teen I saw my family’s church respond to the wave of the Jesus People movement in North America, seeking to engage young people primarily through music. I also recall large scale evangelistic campaigns with prominent speakers along with more localized community based outreach programs. In my younger adult years it just seemed as though evangelical churches would always focus on bringing followers to Christ.

This latest movement, however, seems much more organic, emerging out of the 2020 pandemic and the years following. I have observed young people have a deep hunger to read their Bibles along with a desire to connect with a church. Even within my own extended family this is the case. In addition, young adults are not necessarily joining the types of churches that their parents or grandparents attended. Some find a more formal, systematic or liturgical approach to faith better meets their needs. And others are drawn in the opposite direction, to more spontaneity, depending on where their spiritual journey started.

In Psalm 22, David anticipated a day in the future when “all ends of the earth” would turn to God. Could that prophetic word be coming true even now, in our lifetime? I long for that to be true!

Heavenly Father, may your kingdom come to the earth today. Continue to draw all people to your saving grace and forgiveness so that they might live with you forever.

Throughout This Day: Read Psalm 22 and notice how David wrestles with the challenges in his life while concluding that God will one day draw all people to himself.