God is Moving, Can You See Him? (Part 1)

Is It Really Harvest Time?

Do we recognize what God is doing? Jesus told His disciples, “Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest” (John 4:35 NIV).

The disciples had just returned from buying food in a Samaritan town. To them, it didn’t look like harvest time—wrong place, wrong people, wrong moment. The cultural barriers were high, the situation uncomfortable, and the timing felt off.

But Jesus saw what they didn’t: hearts already prepared by the Father.

He shifted their perspective from human timing to divine readiness. “Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!” What felt premature to the disciples was perfectly timed to God. They did not recognize what God was doing.

That same tension exists today. We look at our world—divided, loud, and often dark—and think, “Not yet, Lord.” But heaven sees differently. God is already at work beneath the surface, preparing hearts, stirring hunger, and calling His people to see through His eyes. The question is not whether God is moving

When Revival Looks Different

In the late 1960s, the Jesus Movement swept across America. Thousands of young people—many from the counterculture—came to Christ on beaches, in coffeehouses, and in spontaneous gatherings.

Yet many church leaders dismissed it. The converts didn’t look or act like their idea of “church people.” Their language, clothing, and culture didn’t fit established expectations.

Still, those who discerned the Spirit’s work rather than judging by appearances witnessed genuine revival. Their willingness to see what God was doing—outside familiar structures—changed a generation.

That danger remains today. God may be moving among people or in places that stretch our comfort zones. If we cling to rigid ideas of how God should move, we risk standing on the sidelines of what He is actually doing.

Isaiah warns us about calling good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). When our expectations become filters, they can blur our spiritual vision. But humility—being willing to listen before we judge—keeps our eyes clear.

Jesus modeled that humility perfectly. He said, “The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing” (John 5:19). Jesus watched, listened, and then moved. That is the pattern of true discernment.

Faith Sees What Others Miss

A.W. Tozer once wrote, “You can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him.” Faith is not shaped by circumstances but by posture.

Joseph understood this. Betrayed and imprisoned, he later told his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20). He saw God’s hand where others saw only injustice.

The prophet Elisha gives us another powerful picture. When his servant panicked at the sight of enemy armies surrounding them, Elisha calmly prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Suddenly, the servant saw hills filled with horses and chariots of fire—God’s unseen protection had been there all along (2 Kings 6:16–17).

What looks like danger may actually be the place God is displaying His power.

That becomes our prayer too: “Lord, open our eyes.”

Who Sees God Moving—and Who Misses It?

The Gospels show us stark contrasts.

Mary believed an impossible promise and became the vessel of God’s salvation.
Elizabeth recognized the Messiah before He was born.
Simeon and Anna saw salvation where others saw only a baby.

Meanwhile, the Pharisees—experts in Scripture—witnessed miracles but missed the Miracle Worker.

Spiritual blindness isn’t always rebellion. Sometimes it’s rigidity. We cling to how God used to move and fail to recognize how He is moving now.

Coming in Part 2

So how do we avoid missing what God is doing?
How do we cultivate eyes that see, ears that hear, and hearts ready to join Him?

In Part 2, we’ll explore:

• Why spiritual sight is a gift that must be stewarded
• How love, humility, and Scripture sharpen discernment
• And how recognizing God’s work today changed everything for my own church—and my own heart

👉 Continue to Part 2: God is Moving