There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.
~ Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal verbalized what everyone already knew in their soul; that every heart has a longing. This longing finds its expression as our inner being thirst to meet the Divine, hear His voice and encounter His presence. And it is in worship we can say ‘yes’, to his deepest of desires, and find that God has been anticipating the moments as much as we have.
Psalmist says - “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:2
Following Jesus is not a religious duty with rules you must keep to gain his love, but rather it’s about developing a relationship with him. Therefore, experiencing the presence of God, in many ways, is like experiencing the presence of a person. According to the Scriptures, there is no ‘force’, no mathematical equation, no nebulous non-personal something sitting at the center of the universe. At the center of everything is a Person - a Person that can be known and a Person who desires to know you!
How do we get to know a person? First, we need to do things that connect us to that person’s heart, motivations, and desires. We study and learn who that person is, and arrange to meet him face to face. When we meet with a person, everything we studied begins to make sense as they share their life in us.
I believe experiencing God happens in a similar way. We get to learn and know Him through His Word, the Holy Bible. Then, we begin to get beyond the reading, looking for God’s personality, perspectives, motives, and attitudes to shine through each page and verse. We are getting to know who God is. With that fresh awareness in our head and heart, we then look for an opportunity to encounter God. We turn our attention to noticing God’s invisible, loving presence!
Psalm 42:2 suggests that our heart is thirsty for this -- has always been thirsty for this. The Holy Spirit makes this possible.
One place we can encounter God is in our corporate worship. As we gather together as Disciple Church we expect and look forward to God encounter as a body of Christ. As you enter into your next time of worship, ask God to meet you there, and listen with your heart for Him to personally reveal who He is to your inner thoughts and feelings. God’s presence, his ever present presence, will satisfy your longing.
Here are some questions to ponder and I pray they will launch a longing desire to meet God. Ask, “Am I ready for the next moment God has designed for us to meet? When I enter a time of personal and corporate worship, am I going through the ‘christian motions’, or am I really longing and prepared for an encounter with God?”
Prepare your heart, soul and mind as a worship gathering starts, by quieting yourself and specifically focusing in on God’s approach toward you. Expect an encounter!
Let’s move away from head knowledge Christianity, which often is more legalistic then a relationship. So many people know Christian theological grid and doctrinal standing yet their hearts are stone cold towards Jesus. Let us move away from cold aloof relationship Jesus to an intimate, love relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus! DC, let us move towards intimacy with Jesus - the greatest Love in the universe.
Pray: Jesus, to think that You would desire to meet, face to face with me, is beyond my wildest imagination. I surrender myself to you. I yield myself to the encounters with you that you have planned for this day. Holy Spirit come upon me to experience the tangible presence of God. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!
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