What does the common phrase 'The Lord visited someone' mean? How should we understand such situations, draw the right conclusions, and avoid the necessity for such occurrences?

What does the common phrase “The Lord visited someone” mean? How should we understand such situations, draw the right conclusions, and avoid the necessity for such occurrences? #

The phrase “The Lord visited” or “the visitation of the Lord” is used in Holy Scripture to refer both to blessings and to punishments. For instance, regarding Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, it is written:

“And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.”

The prophet Zechariah speaks of this in the context of blessing:

“For the Lord of hosts hath visited his flock, the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle.”

The prophet Zephaniah similarly uses this expression:

“And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.”

In the Book of Exodus, the phrase also refers to God’s intervention for deliverance:

“And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.”

In the Gospel, this phrase appears in the prophecy of Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist:

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us.”

However, the phrase also carries a meaning of judgment and punishment. In the Book of Isaiah, it is written:

“The Lord of hosts shall visit with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.”

The prophet Jeremiah writes:

“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will visit upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.”

And the prophet Zephaniah states:

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.”

Thus, the expression “The Lord visited” signifies God’s intervention in the lives of people—usually during difficult times—whereby He saves and blesses the righteous while judging and punishing the wicked. In other words, a “visitation of the Lord” denotes the manifestation of God’s judgment.

Faithful and devoted believers need not fear the visitation of the Lord. On the contrary, we should long for it and pray for such visitation. During the episcopal service, there is a moment when the bishop blesses the faithful with the dikirion and trikirion, reciting the prayer:

“Lord, Lord, look down from heaven and behold, and visit this vine, and perfect that which Thy right hand hath planted.”

For those who oppose the Lord, however, His visitation is terrifying. It is better for them to reconcile with God and turn to Him before such a visitation occurs.

—Priest Mikhail Rodin