When we have an encounter with the LORD – when we experience Him in a very personal way – we have a much easier time serving Him, trusting Him, and following Him.
The problem for many of us isn’t that we haven’t had a personal experience with the LORD, but more likely that we haven’t recognized His presence because we were focusing on problems, our situation, or our expectations. God will often show Himself in the everyday experiences we have. He may reveal Himself through the words or presence of a friend. He may provide us with hope or encouragement through His word as we read it. He may extend His mighty hand of protection or healing to us. He may extend financial gifts or blessing when we are in a time of need.
The problem for us isn’t whether or not God shows up, it’s whether or not we recognize His hand in every single layer and detail of our lives. God weaves blessings, provision, and His presence throughout our lives daily, however, we miss Him. Our vision is skewed.
We want God to show up how we want Him to. We want the huge and miraculous Red Sea parting experience – so that we will believe… But God, although capable of parting the greatest of seas, knows that anytime He regularly provides miracles, big or small, we tend to need more. We chalk it up as coincidence. Fate. We shift from mountain-top experiences with God, to doubting God had a hand in the matter at all. We take the credit. We give the credit to others, or to random circumstances.
Friend, all that we have and all that we are is a gift from God. We cannot forget what He has done. We cannot forget who He is. We cannot forget His promises to us. We need to remember our experiences, lest we fall away.
This pattern of behavior has always been this way. “The people of Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him – those who had personally experienced all that the LORD had done for Israel.” (Joshua 24:31) What happened next? The people were following the leaders who were regularly investing in a relationship with God, but when they were not investing in God themselves, and their leaders passed away, they had nothing. They fell apart. They abandoned the One who had blessed them, provided for them, and loved them. Their eyes were blind to experiencing Him personally on a day to day basis.
Friend, one of the smartest things we can do is to ask God to give us eyes to see His hand at work in our lives, and in the world around us. We need to ask Him to help us experience Him personally. God desires relationship. He will honor our request.
LORD, we ask that you would first of all forgive us for the times that we have missed you. The times that we have received gifts of blessing from you – especially the times where we have been given the gift of your presence yet have missed seeing you or experiencing you because we were focused on ourselves. God, we know that everything good comes from you. We also know, LORD, that there is no hurt we have experienced that is wasted. So we ask LORD God that you would tune our hearts to yours. We ask that you would give us eyes to see you and your hand at work around us today. We pray that we would give you credit where credit is due. LORD, we ask that you would help us to live lives that give you glory, honor, and praise. We ask that you would help us to give you first place in our lives. We ask all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Blessings!