The Hour of Visitation of the LORD - Dangers of Missing it

Aug 02, 2025 8 Min Read

The LORD God through His mercies has made it a common thing to always give mankind a chance—at least once in their lifetime. Sometimes He shows love to the whole community; other times to just one obscure individual, tucked in a forgotten corner of the earth. But in every case, it is an hour of visitation and a divine interruption in the natural rhythm of life.

This article is a gentle yet urgent call: to help you understand the hour of God's visitation, how to discern it when it comes, and what happens when we ignore, despise, or delay. Because sometimes, He only passes once.

 When God Walked By

Throughout the Bible, there are moments when God passed by; physically, spiritually, or through divine messengers and the response of those present determined everything. Some recognized the moment and were changed forever. Others hesitated, mocked, or refused and the door shut.

Let’s revisit some of these holy crossroads.

 1. Abraham — The Watchful Host (Genesis 18:1–15)

God appeared to Abraham in one of his worst moments—not financially, but spiritually dry and delayed. Rich, but with no heir. The promise had tarried. Disappointment had already birthed Ishmael through Hagar. And then, three strangers walk by in the heat of the day.

They didn’t knock. They didn’t announce themselves with trumpets.
But Abraham, the friend of God, ran to them, bowed low, and urged them to stay.

It was just a meal. But behind it lay the fulfillment of destiny.

 “Is anything too hard for YHWH? At the appointed time I will return...” — Genesis 18:14

Abraham caught his moment. The barren became fruitful. The old man laughed. And a nation was born. Israel was born with faith to the Almighty.


 2. Jacob — Wrestling at Peniel (Genesis 32:24–30)

Again, similar Abraham, God was not short of a dramatic visitation. He appeared and physically wrestled him. Alone by the river, a man appeared and wrestled him until dawn. Jacob did not let go. He understood: this is no ordinary man.

“I will not let You go unless You bless me.”

Jacob caught his moment, contended with God, and walked away with both a limp and a destiny. Israel as we now know it was born out of a righteous man who wrestled God the whole night.

 3. Rahab — The Canaanite Prostitute who gave birth to Jesus (Joshua 2)

In Joshua 2,a woman known as Rahab too did recognize her hour of visitation. A Canaanian prostitute who knew nothing about the love of Yahweh recognizes her hour by hosting and providing hospitality to Israelites' spies sent by Joshua to Jericho. The Lord rewards her magnificently, her family is spared and she appears in the lineage of the Jesus the Messiah in Matthew 1:5.

 4. The Widow of Zarephath — One Last Meal (1 Kings 17:8–16)

The widow lived alone by her son in somewhat a secluded area. Drought called upon by Elijah had consumed the LORD was years, she was gathering sticks to die. One last meal. But a prophet asked her to bake him a small cake first. Would you have done that?

It made no sense. But she obeyed, and her jar never ran out. Her visitation looked like inconvenience, but it became supply and salvation. When her only son, the LORD poured His mercies. It showed one who lives in righteousness of the LORD, always watching and loves the LORD more than themselves is one who cannot miss their hour of visitation.

5. Zacchaeus — The Tree-Climber (Luke 19:1–10)

Jericho strikes again - Rahab was from Jericho. Jesus passed through Jericho. The crowd blocked the view. Zacchaeus being a short man climbed a tree, seeking more than a glimpse. The LORD Jesus did not miss him and recognized his effort.

 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham

A man who has lived by corrupting people got his moment and he never remained the same. How the Lord longs for out heart.

6. Blind Bartimaeus — Refused to Be Silenced (Mark 10:46–52)

Yet again Jericho strikes. Jesus was passing through Jericho. The crowd was thick. Bartimaeus  knowing very well here is a man who can give him sight refuses to silenced. He cried out:

 “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

I can imagine his tears streaming uncontrollably. They told him to be quiet. But when one recognizes his moment, he cannot be stopped, he shouted even louder, perhaps his voice was growing weary, perhaps he had not eaten enough. But this was his day, Jesus stopped. And the blind got his sight restored.


7. The Thief on the Cross — Seized Eternity in His Final Breath (Luke 23:42–43)

This is perhaps the most unique hour of visitation. A man is crucified besides and your moment comes just before death, Huh? As the other throws jabs and insults, he recognized perhaps one final moment of recongizing his sins could be the difference.The thief had every reason to stay bitter or silent or join the fellow thief. But in his final moments, he recognized the King beside him.

 “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
 “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Even in death, God can pass by—and mercy responds to the faintest cry of faith. Jesus gave an immediate response as a pre-meditated moment. The man received salvation.

 

Unlike those who caught their moments like Rahab, Samuel, Elijah's still voice, Zacchaeus and others several other people missed their hour of visitation and the Lord discarded them. Let's explore:

8. Jerusalem — God Weeping at the Gate - Missed their Moment (Luke 19:41–44)

Jerusalem captured long ago by King David and exhaulted high thereafter by God was about to face destruction for their fall. The city had killed a lot of innocent bloog.  The Lord was willing to overlook all that. He appeared in their midst and when they did not recognize their how, Jesus looked at the city and wept. The King of Glory was in their midst.

“You did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

The city was destroyed in 70 AD. The temple, once filled with glory, was left desolate. Till today, the city is a historical site - not even the capital of Israel. Restoration will only come when they say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD."

 Ways God Has Shown This Generation the Hour of Visitation

The God who walked by Abraham, Elijah, and Zacchaeus still walks by today. But He comes in different forms—and the world often doesn't recognize Him.

Here are some of the ways God visits our generation:

 1. Through the Gospel Preached Freely

In many nations, you can hear the name of Jesus daily—on radios, online, in churches, on buses. It may seem common, but this is divine mercy.

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” — Romans 10:17

Just remember you should never ignore a preacher. At least give them a chance, if they messes it by preaching a goseple not taught by the apostles, you can then ignore them. The gospel must always be about the cross. It must us towards God and away from sin. Always. The gospel of money, conmanship and fake miracles belong to the devil and must be ignored if not stopped.

 2. Through Crisis and Shaking

Global pandemics, wars, droughts, inflation, even personal loss, these often function as divine alarms, calling people back to their Creator. Jesus himself warned us about the times of his coming. He said in Matthew 24 that his coming will be marked by wars, rumors of wars, plagues, nations against each other like we have Korea, Russia, Iran among others. The Lord is directly speaking to us that his coming has draw near and we cannot miss it.

 “In the day of trouble, seek the Lord…” — Psalm 50:15

 4. Through the Needy and the Marginalized

“Whatever you did to the least of these, you did to Me.” — Matthew 25:40
God often walks by as the hungry, the orphan, the refugee, the lonely—testing if we’ll recognize Him behind fragile frames.

People ignore the needy always but what we don't know that by helping the needy the LORD owes you. It's like poking God in the eyes calling for his attention. He will surely come and you wont miss your moment.

Additional Scriptures to ensure you don't miss your hour of visitation


 1. Stay Spiritually Awake

“Watch and pray...” — Matthew 26:41
Live each day expecting God to move—even in small ways.


 2. Live in Humility and Surrender

 “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” — James 4:6
The proud will always miss it; the humble will bow even at whispers.


 3. Respond Quickly When Convicted

 “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” — Hebrews 3:15
Delayed obedience is still disobedience. Say yes to God while the moment is present.


 4. Treasure the Word of God

Many will scroll past sermons, posts, and Scriptures—not realizing God is speaking.

“The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” — John 6:63


 5. Be Willing to Be Interrupted

God rarely comes on our schedule. Be interruptible. Elijah’s whisper, the widow’s visitor, Abraham’s strangers—they all came in life’s interruptions.


 6. Discern the Season You’re In

“The sons of Issachar... understood the times.” — 1 Chronicles 12:32
Some visitations are seasonal—like revivals or moves of God. Don’t sleep through them.