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There are those who say they have encountered God visibly, heard Him
speak audibly, and felt His touch physically. Such experiences are
possible and are real. Both Old and New Testaments are marked by
miraculous, life-changing encounters with God (Is. 6:1-8). He has
shown, through the pages of Scripture, that He is free to reveal
Himself in any way He chooses.
These supernatural encounters, however, were
the exception rather than the rule. While prophets like Isaiah,
Moses, and Ezekiel had life-changing visions of God, they did not
spend the rest of their lives teaching others to have similar
experiences.
In some ways it would be nice to believe that
a relationship with God means experiencing a shaft of light
illuminating us from heaven. But as a rule, the truth is far less
dramatic.
To meet God doesn't mean we have to see Him
visibly. We don't need to wait for visions or life-changing dreams.
We can encounter God with the eyes of our understanding. Because He
is an all-powerful, ever-present Spirit, He can reveal Himself to us
at a deeper level than our physical senses. The One who made the
world is more than able to give insight about Himself to anyone who
wants to know the truth in order to do it (Jn. 7:17; Eph. 1:17-18).
He can also withhold light from those who are more interested in
avoiding the truth than in finding it.
To hear God doesn't mean we have to hear Him
audibly. There are times when we might wish God would break the
silence and whisper in our ear. Or maybe we're glad He doesn't.
Either way, it's not necessary for Him to do so. If we hear only
silence, it is our own self-imposed silence.
For those who want to hear, God can be heard
speaking constantly through the timeless wisdom of His Book. There
and through nature (Ps. 19:1-11), He is always talking to us.
Our problem usually is not that God is not
speaking, but rather that we're not sure we want to hear what He is
saying or has already said.
For that reason, we need to take seriously the
words of the author of Hebrews, who wrote, "Therefore, as the
Holy Spirit says: 'Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden
your hearts as in the rebellion'" (3:7-8). Our opportunity to
hear Him on every page of the Bible is a privilege that carries a
great degree of responsibility.
To be close to God is not a matter of
location. It is common to think that we must go to church to meet
God. That makes sense. We meet friends at predetermined times and
places. Yet, while God does use scheduled services and addresses, He
is not limited to them. He promises to meet us in places of the
heart. He wants us to make our hearts His home.
James recognized this when he said, "Draw
near to God and He will draw near to you" (Jas. 4:8). He didn't
say anything about where to go. He didn't tell us to find the highest
hill in our area, or a quiet church sanctuary. Instead, James told us
to humble ourselves before the Lord (4:10). He gave us reason to
believe that wherever we seek Him, the Lord will meet with us there.
David, the songwriter, king, and "man
after God's own heart," shows us why this is true. Deeply
humbled by the Lord's constant, unavoidable presence (Ps. 139:1-6),
he prayed, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee
from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make
my bed in hell, behold, You are there. . . . If I say, 'Surely the
darkness shall fall on me,' even the night shall be light about me;
indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You . . . . When I awake, I
am still with You" (Ps. 139:7-8,11-12,18). Nearness to God is
not an issue of location. It is a matter of whether we have place in
our hearts for Him.
To know God is not a matter of knowing all
about Him. That might be the greatest understatement of all. To know
God is not to master Him. At best, we can exclaim with the apostle
Paul:
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom
and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways
past finding out! "For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or
who has become His counselor?" (Rom. 11:33-34).
Given the limitations of life, our minds can
barely begin to grasp the meaning of words that describe God--words
like eternal, infinite, all-powerful, all-knowing, and
everywhere-present. Yet, because He has made it possible to know Him,
we can begin a process of discovery now that will never end.
We can know God because He has come to us, on
our terms, to invite us to Himself on His terms. According to
eyewitnesses of the New Testament Gospels, God revealed Himself to us
in a person who walked on water, controlled the skies, healed
withered limbs, restored sight, and stopped bleeding sores. He fed thousands
with a small amount of food, drove out demons, raised the dead, loved
deeply, and taught wisely.
Living a sinless life, He fulfilled Old
Testament predictions, claimed to be the promised Messiah, and
sacrificed His own life to secure forgiveness of sins for all who
would trust Him. It was this person, known ever since as Jesus the
Messiah, who said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father"
(Jn. 14:9).
So, according to the Bible, not only is a
personal relationship with God a spiritual relationship, it is a
Christ-centered relationship.
Curtis
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