Focus: Keep Touching God!

Text: Num.25:11

"Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy."

Phinehas touched God by his passion and action. He made God proud, and here is what God says about him, "And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel" (Num.25:13). God blessed him with an eternal priesthood, which means that his seed would continue to serve as God's appointed priests in Israel.

Constantly touching God is one secret of securing one's future with divine favors, both favor with God and man. God is a constant presence and reality in the universe.

It is so wonderful a thing when God touches us, but it is even more wonderful when we touch God for ourselves, because it results in a greater manifestation of God to one's life. Paul tells us about Christ having apprehended him, and his own determined effort to apprehend him in return. Paul saw it as essential to lay hold of Him who had laid hold of him.

Apart from Christ touching you, you can touch Christ as well. Matthew tells us, "So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him" (Mt.20:34). God is always in the business of touching His people, and He takes delight in doing so. But beyond God touching His people, He desires to see His people making effort at touching Him. Matthew writes, "And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole" (Mt.14:36). People pleaded to be allowed to touch Christ, and as they touched Him, they experienced miraculous healing. 

Mark reports, "For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues" (Mk.3:10). Mark says again, "And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole" (Mk.6:56). People made effort to touch Christ. They seized every opportunity to touching Christ. William Barclay says that the kingdom is not for the well meaning, but for the desperate. God's people need a high degree of holy desperation in their pursuit of God.

Mark again writes, "And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him" (Mk.8:22). The people pleaded for the touch of Christ. Again, "And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them…" (Mk.10:13). Children were brought for Christ to touch them. Luke tells us, "And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all" (Lk.6:19). The people on their own sought to touch the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew says, "And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole" (Mt.14:36). The people were not disappointed for touching Christ's garment. They were perfectly healed as a result.

God said to Abraham, "By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son" (Gen.22:16). God felt deeply touched by Abraham's obedience and reverence to Him, and for that, God took an oath to bless him immensely and irrevocably.

In the case of Noah, we read, "And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake…" (Gen.8:21). Noah made a great impression on God by his sacrifice, and as a result, God made a declaration that He would not curse the ground again for man's sake. 

Paul says, "But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God" (Phil.4:18). The church of Macedonia blessed Paul and assisted his ministry of preaching the gospel, and God felt it. By touching Paul's life, they were indirectly touching God. Their offering and giving were "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God." 

The Roman centurion touched Christ deeply. Matthew says, "When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found SO GREAT FAITH, no, not in Israel" (Mt.8:10). He reports of one woman, "Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, GREAT is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour" (Mt.15:28). These two, the centurion and the woman, were both foreigners, but they touched Christ's heart, and He met their needs.

I say to you today, bless God at all times! Commit your resources to Him! Bless God not only with the words of your mouth but also with the works of your hands! Ask for His touch! Go for His touch!

Intercede for His touch on behalf of others! Exert every ounce of energy to touch your God! Touch Him daily, weekly, monthly and yearly! Keep touching Him moment by moment! Do always those things that please Him, even as Christ did! Don't always wait for God's touch; make a move and get to touch Him!

Touch God by your faith! Touch Him by your faithfulness! Touch Him by your obedience! Touch Him by your service of faith and labor of love! Touch Him with your money and other resources! Touch Him by your commitment and devotion! Touch Him with your generosity, good works, and heart of gratitude! Touch Him by your passion for souls and evangelism! Touch Him with your life of prayer and worship! Touch Him with your tithes and offerings! There are a thousand and one ways to touch God. Stephen touched Christ with his bold witness and dying faith, and Christ stood up in heaven to welcome him to his heavenly home. Let's touch and keep touching God till our life on earth comes to an end!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter