In our walk with God, it may often feel like we are out of tune and rusty on the inside. In times like these, we know that what we need most is the refreshing move of God in our lives and the one way we get that is through being connected to Jesus.
As simple as that sounds, being connected to God seems to be awfully difficult at times. Many Christians read their Bibles, listen to worship music or hear preaching only to find themselves still disconnected from the presence and the refreshing move of the Holy Spirit.
Many of us seek to be refreshed, but we're waiting too much for signs, wonders and manifestations. Sometimes God's refreshing touch can be in the form of an assuring word from the Bible, a relationship, a quick moment of pause or a soft whisper.
The Holy Spirit is not a force that always appears as a mighty wind or rushing fire (though He does in many occasions). The Holy Spirit is a Person and One who desires that we stay connected to Him in big ways and small ways, but why does it feel so hard to turn to Him in some moments and just experience His refreshing touch? Acts 3:19 tells us, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
Sin hinders refreshing
The reason why God dislikes sin is that it drives us away from Him. God is holy and thus cannot mingle with the presence of sin, so as sin enters our hearts, God's presence leaves. The good new, however, is that though we can make no way to be sinless and holy, God made a way completely free from our own doing for us to be sanctified. He replaced our sinfulness with His Son's righteousness by making Jesus the atonement for our sin.
As we repent and turn away from sin by turning to Christ and allowing the power of His death and resurrection to free us from the consequence and presence of sin, times of refreshing will come.
God is always there, but He waits for us to turn to Him
Just as Jesus told in the story of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32), refreshing came only when He went home to a Father who had been waiting for the son's return from the very beginning. There's no doubt that God loves us, but He loves us so much that He respects our free will so when we turn away from God, He does not force Himself upon us.
But He does make every effort to reconcile you back to Him. There's nothing that God won't do and hasn't done to win you back and when you come back, He'll be there waiting for you with arms wide open.
