Divine Encounters

Those readers who have been in attendance at one of our ABC Communion Together services will be aware that we have been exploring the theme of ‘Encountering the Divine’. The word of God which we find in the Bible frequently records Diving Encounters, many of which you may be familiar – Moses at the burning Bush, Abraham on a mountain in Moriah when God tests him, through almost sacrificing his only son, and many more. In our weekly services we have explored the encounter of Saul on the road to Damascus, Philip and the Ethiopian and this Sunday, Cornelius on the roof top.

My hope is that discovering more about these encounters will encourage you to explore those times when you have had a Divine Encounter on your own faith journey. Such encounters can be very subtle. They can also be dramatic. One thing they all have in common is that they draw us closer to God and deepen our relationship with Him. Perhaps one of the most significant encounter we can experience is when we come to faith in Jesus. That moment when we realise the truth of Jesus and that He wants an ongoing, committed relationship with us. A relationship which is life changing and life enhancing. I do believe that we can have many such encounters that form part of our faith journey and I would encourage you to pause and reflect on those significant moments in your journey. If you can’t actually think of one, ask God in prayer to remind you of such an occasion.

The God whom we worship, through Jesus in the power of Holy Spirit wants us to know Him in a real and personal way. That is how we grow deeper in faith and develop an ongoing relationship with God.

Of course, this all takes time and a certain amount of initiative on our part, but it is so worth it to be able to live life in the knowledge that we are accompanied on our journey through this life y our creator who cares not just about the bigger picture but the little things. When we are aware of that, we can trust in God more and more through the ups and downs and roundabouts of life.

You may be reading this and thinking God doesn’t care that much about me – I won’t have any divine encounters with Him. Well, I would encourage you to stop thinking like that, find a quiet place and ask Him to reveal Himself to you in a significant way. He will and you will be greatly encouraged.

May you experience a deepening of your walk with Jesus as you seek Him or indeed when you least expect Him!

Geoff