Encountering God

​The hour in which we live requires a life given to the secret place. God wants us to be with Him. He desires intimacy & friendship with us. As we meet with God we gain clarity about who we are and about our part in God’s story; we get a godly focus & perspective to our lives.
​
Today, there are three parts I want to focus on today about encountering God.

1. Experience the presence of God

Let’s take a look at the Biblical account of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24. ​
Cleopas and another disciple were walking on the road to Emmaus shortly after the crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus Himself shows up and shares a conversation with them that eventually opened their eyes.

“Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about 7 miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.  As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them, but their eyes were restrained so they did not know Him,

He asked them, ‘What are you discussing together as you walk along?’

They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them named Cleopas asked Him, ‘Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened in these days?’” (Luke 24:13-18)

Cleopas explains to Jesus all the events that have taken place-- that Jesus was mighty in miracles, but was condemned to death and he was crucified.  And how on the third day Jesus had told them that he would be raised from the dead.  So on this road, leaving Jerusalem, the 2 disciples find themselves on the 3rd day and Jesus’ tomb is empty!  The women had seen the empty tomb and other disciples had seen the empty tomb. And yet, Cleopas and the other disciple are downcast and admit, “… but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel,” (Luke 24:21).

In response to this statement, Jesus unveils the whole storyline of God’s redemption in all 39 Old Testament books.  He walked them through all the Scriptures, “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.”  (Luke 24:27) Jesus taught the disciples to find Him in the Word.

The disciples urged him to travel with them and stay with them.  While they ate, Jesus gave thanks and “their eyes were opened and they recognized Him and He disappeared from their sight” (verse 31).  Their response was, “were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (verse 32).

There are certain things that can only be discovered when you are with God. Where do you meet with God?  David met with God in the fields where he tended his father’s sheep.  He had time and he made the fields a sacred space. Moses met with God in the wilderness and pitched a tent outside of camp to continually meet with God. A tent was his sacred space. John the Baptist lived in the desert. This was where he met with God.  Scripture tells us that Jesus went away to lonely places or up a mountain to spend time with God. 

It doesn’t matter where you meet with God: It could be on a nature trail, in your living room, maybe you have a certain chair in your house, or sitting on your deck/porch/yard, while you are working out, in the car, at your desk at work, etc. Find your space to meet with God and carve out that time to enjoy his presence.

Matthew 6:6, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Luke 24:32 tells us, “…were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”  What has made your heart burn for God?
​
When you draw near to God the priority of love becomes the motivation of your life; over time you will notice how you are changing.  You will notice that God’s thoughts will become your thoughts, His desires, your desires; the things He cares about & the way He does things will wear off on you.

AW Tozer said, “Others before me have gone much farther into these holy mysteries than I have done, but if my fire is not large it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame.” Oh Lord, set us on FIRE for You so others can light their candle at its flame!

2. Prayer ~ An easy working definition: Prayer is friendship.

God has designed us to live in partnership with Him. He moves on behalf; He responds to us. God loves to hear us talk to Him and He loves to talk to us.

Prayer is a mystery, to stand before an invisible God ~ it is a wonderous privilege. When we meet with God in the secret place to pray, there is a vulnerability & humility.  We acknowledge a need, whether our own or another’s. In prayer, we admit our dependence on God, our weakness. God loves to draw near to us when we are weak, vulnerable, desperate. That is the place where miracles are born. 

We can’t understand prayer because we don’t see the invisible realm. If may feel like our prayers are just words that we lift to the ceiling, but we need to know the power of our prayers. All our intercession lives in another realm before it is manifest in the natural realm.  It really is a mystery.
​ 
The Kingdom that can't be seen with your eyes is greater than what can be seen. And the more we "see" the Kingdom of God with our spiritual eyes, the more real it will become. And the more we "see", the more confidence we will pray with, asking God to bring heaven to earth! 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal".
 
In the place of prayer, we meet the people we pray for.  Sometimes it is helpful to have a prayer list which can help to keep you focused. The list is a guide to use when you need it. Intercession is a prayer of love for others; standing before God on behalf of others is a grand privilege.

When you meet with God in the place of prayer, it mostly will be like a river, where by the Spirit, you follow the stream.  Start with worship, then follow the river as the Holy Spirit leads: asking God for your own needs/family needs, repentance, thanking God for what He has done in your life/family life,  or intercession, and praise ~ expressing to God how amazing He is!
 
There is nothing too small to ask God for.  The small things point to deeper needs of the heart. When we give thanks for the little or trivial things, it’s like we are surrounded by little miracles. These little things build our faith.

What are the challenges you face in having a consistent prayer time?

3.  Meditate on the Word

God desires that we would see the Scriptures as the means by which we meet Jesus, who is The Word. The Bible was given to us for the sake of encountering a Person.  Revelation 19:13b says, “….and His name is called The Word of God”.  We no longer read the Bible for information but instead are seeking to be awakened to a relationship with God.  

The true purpose of the Word of God is to cause our hearts to burn with love and tenderness toward God.
 
I want to leave you with one way to meditate on the Word, the SOAP method. There are so many ways to read the Bible and pray the Bible. If this doesn’t resonate with you, look for any way to read the Word for revelation & inspiration

Luke 24:45 tells us that Jesus, “…opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures”.  Pray that over your own heart before you open the Word of God. “Jesus, open my mind to understand the Scriptures today.”

How to use the SOAP method:
Scripture (S): Read a chosen passage and write it down in your journal the way it is written. This helps you slow down and notice details.

Observation (O): Ask questions about the text (Who, What, Where, When, Why) to understand its original meaning, noting key words or repeated themes. Why did this stand out to me? What do I notice about the Scripture.

Application (A): Personalize the scripture by asking how it applies to your life today, identifying specific changes or actions needed.

Pray (P): Pray the Scripture and talk to God about what you've learned, asking for help to apply the truth and listening for His guidance. 

As we wrap up today, I want you to reflect on this question, What might change in your life if you regularly slowed down to meditate and contemplate on the Word? 

This year, set your heart to encounter God through His presence (being with Him), through prayer & meditating on the Word.