I was reading, recently, one of a whole host of beautiful testimonies that formed part of the famed Hebrides revival of 1949-52. The story relates to a schoolgirl in her mid-teens by the name of Fay Macleod.

Simple yet profound

Months before the revival commenced, both Fay and a close friend began coming under spiritual conviction. They carried on going to dances, but didn’t get the same pleasure from them as before. Fay became increasingly aware that she was a sinner, and far away from God. She and her friend would ponder aloud what it was that Christians had that they didn’t. They couldn’t work it out, but they longed to have it.

Then revival broke out, and news spread that Fay’s friend, Chirsty Ann, had been converted at one of the meetings. Fay was thunderstruck on being told, not having a clue what had actually happened to her. “I went to see her; and took one look at her. Her face was transformed – there’s no other word for it – she was simply glowing. I said, ‘Chirsty Ann – you’ve got it!’”.

Her friend replied, “Oh, Fay, we’ve been so blind. It’s not an ‘it’ at all, it’s a him! I've found him - the Lord Jesus!” Fay threw her arms around her friend, and wept profusely on her shoulders. She accompanied Chirsty Ann to the meeting the following night, and she too found her Saviour, her life being absolutely transformed.

I went to see her; and took one look at her. Her face was transformed – there’s no other word for it – she was simply glowing.

It was the simplicity yet profundity of the story that impacted me. The two schoolgirls had been searching for months for the one thing that could bring them peace and inner satisfaction – only to find that this one thing was a person – Jesus Christ.

The heart of worship

As believers of many years standing, we can far too easily make the Christian life seem so complicated. When, at heart, it’s so simple that a four-year-old child can grasp it – as many indeed do. Matt Redman, one of the world’s finest Christian songwriters of the present generation, sums up beautifully the essence of the faith in one of his best-known hymns:

‘I’m coming back to the heart of worship,
And it’s all about you, it’s all about you, Jesus.
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing that I’ve made it,
When it’s all about you, it’s all about you, Jesus.’

Christianity is primarily a matter of relationship – with God, through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit. We need to constantly remind ourselves of that fact, ever drawing ourselves back to that central focus.

Of course, to say that the Christian life is in essence simple is not to suggest that it’s easy. Most of us know from experience it’s not, and Christ teaches us the same, telling his disciples: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24).

Relationship not religion

And while of course it’s true that what we believe is important (1 Tim 6:3; 2 John 1:9), we can get completely absorbed in the doctrinal issues determining what theological points we absolutely must and must not imbibe. We can get so caught up in these concerns that it becomes easy to overlook what the Christian faith is really all about – relationship bought through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Such closeness of relationship can only come from quality time spent alone in his presence.

I’m alarmed at how flippantly some believers can write off others with beliefs and practices that diverge even in small ways from their own – castigating them as ‘heretics’, people who stand outside the true faith.

We have to be very careful making such hasty judgement – only God knows what’s in a person’s heart; how can we know with certainty that that person doesn’t have a deep, genuine love for the Lord?

Regaining intimacy

How important it is for each of us to come back to our first love (Rev 2:4). That place of intimacy with God. Such closeness of relationship can only come from quality time spent alone in his presence. From asking him to reignite within us a burning passion for Christ. John Piper puts this over most poignantly:

“When I pray for revival, I pray first for the utter devotion and allegiance of your hearts to Christ. That you would love Him so deeply and long for Him so passionately that His coming would be your great hope, and death would be gain, and life would be for Christ and His kingdom. That is revival.”

In the difficult days that lie ahead for the Church and for the world, the strength of our relationship with God will ultimately determine both how we withstand the challenges that confront us.

If we regard time spent alone with God as tedious and unproductive then we have a problem. Surely the thought of just being in his presence – seeking to connect with his heartbeat; gleaning truths from the reading of his word; listening to his sweet voice; distilling what he, by his Spirit, might be saying to us, personally, guiding us in the decisions we have to make – is one we would find exciting. Surely the very thought is enough to woo us into spending more time alone in fellowship with him.

Let’s never forget, our Christian walk is nothing if it’s not, at its core, relational. Relational with God himself, and relational with fellow believers. In the difficult days that lie ahead for the Church and for the world, the strength of our relationship with God will ultimately determine both how we withstand the challenges that confront us, and how effective is our practical witness to those around us who are in need.

May we ensure at all times that our lives are rooted in his word, bonded with other believers in sweet fellowship, and united with Christ in heartfelt relationship. Each and every day, may we find ourselves coming back to the heart of worship – where it’s all about him, all about him: Jesus.