Times of Refreshing are Coming

Driving home from work this evening, just before dark, I found myself sinking into the mulligrubs because of the winter inversion. In the winter time in Salt Lake City, the city smog gets trapped in the valley and at times it can get very bad. We aren’t to that point yet, but this is the way it starts.

Only one thing reverses this blight on our otherwise beautiful city. A storm! We need a winter storm to move through. First it gets worse. It gets colder, it snows, driving becomes difficult. We have to shovel snow. But when the snow storm has exited the valley, the crud is gone with it.

What a relief. Take a nice deep breath of fresh air. Look at the beautiful blue sky. More relief that the plop plop fizz fizz of an Alka Seltzer. Anyway, I was thinking along these lines tonight on my ride home relishing the thought that on Friday a snowstorm is predicted, so on Saturday there will be a refreshing day of glorious winter sunshine in our valley.

That reminded me of Peter’s sermon in Acts where he promises times of refreshing that come from the presence of the Lord. But just like the storm that brings the refreshing to the Salt Lake Valley, there is a storm that brings the refreshing from God. It is called repent and turn, so our sins can be wiped away.

Sin cause a spiritual inversion to take place in our lives. We get the mulligrubs in our life. We feel the depression that comes from a lack of good spiritual air to breath. And it is trapped by sinful inversion. How to get rid of it? Confess the sin. 1 John 1:9. Turn from the sin. And let the refreshing after storm of God’s spirit bring an atmosphere of refreshing.

Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; (NASB95)
----Peter the Apostle