Since the days when Adam walked face-to-face with God in the Garden of Eden, people of faith have been moved and led by encounters with the Lord. Over and over again in the Old Testament, “the Angel of the Lord” appeared to men and women, and spoke prophecies and destiny to them. The New Testament carries on this expectation that encounters would be normal for believers. We see angelic visitations, open visions, trances or “ecstasies”, and even personal encounters with Christ, after his ascension. The Christian life is not supposed to be simple, religious activity. It is supposed to be a personal relationship with the Lord. In view of this reality, I want us to look at the anatomy of an encounter with God.

Saul’s Encounter

As an example of an encounter with God, I want us to look at Saul’s travel on the Damascus road, when God showed up. 

If you know Saul’s background, you know that we first meet him at the stoning of Stephen. As the men were trying to get their best shots in to kill Stephen, there was a young man named Saul standing by, holding their coats, and encouraging them (see Acts 7:58; 8:1). After Stephen was dead, Saul took it upon himself to lead a great persecution of anyone in Jerusalem who were followers of Jesus.

Apparently, it was effective. Most of the disciples had fled from Jerusalem, or went well enough into hiding to escape. Saul, then, decides to take the persecution on the road. The Bible tells us:

“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice…”

Acts 9:1-4; English Standard Version

The Timing of the Encounter

Saul was on his way to Damascus to destroy believers, just as he had been doing in Jerusalem, when suddenly God shows up. “Suddenly.” This is the first point I want to look at as we discuss how an encounter with God happens. You do not get to determine when it comes.

From my limited human wisdom, it seems that if God had come to Saul much sooner, it would have saved the church a lot of heartache and struggle. He didn’t. Instead, He waited until Saul was out on the road. He was separated from the comforts and connections of home, and had nowhere to turn for help. That is when God decided to step in and meet him.

This seems to be God’s standard mode of operation. He alone will determine when our encounter happens. We can pray for an encounter, and seek to meet Him. We can (and should) ask Him to break into our lives, but He will be the one who ultimately decides when it happens.

The Sovereignty of Suddenly

We cannot miss, however, that when God breaks in, it is always a holy moment. As we will see in part 2, we are always left changed by these encounters. One reason we cannot dictate when these moments come, is because God has to prepare everything at that moment, to contain the weight of the glory He will bring.

I have had a handful of encounters with God over the years. Still, I want more. I wish they would happen regularly and on demand, but they don’t. However, when they do happen, it is always a holy moment (or hour, or day…). I think God has to determine when the encounter comes, because He alone knows what the encounter is going to bring into your life.

So don’t give up. You should be pursuing God for an encounter. Yet you must also be patient in the anticipation of Him showing up.

The Method of the Encounter

The other thing about an encounter with God, which we cannot control, is how God shows up in our life. For Paul, it was a bright light and a voice from heaven. It was the burning bush for Moses. Isaiah took a vision-trip into Heaven. For Mary, it was an angel coming to meet her with good news.

As we desire encounters from the Lord, it is easy to see the experience of others, and decide that we want our experience to be the same. Once again, however, it is the Lord who knows what He wants to bring to you in the encounter, and He will show up in the exact way He sees fit to deliver.

The Glory and the Fire

Some encounters are beautiful and glory-filled. Think about John’s vision in Revelation, and all the amazing things he was shown. Other encounters are fearful and even painful, just like Saul being knocked from his horse. Todd White recounts his own “baptism of fire,” where he was in excruciating pain, convinced God wanted to kill him. Many other personal encounters in history have been the same

I, myself, have received both of these versions. In an encounter in 2012, when Dr. Randy Clark of Global Awakening prayed for me, I slid down to the floor, and peacefully rested in the presence of the Holy Spirit, as His glory washed over me. What followed immediately was clear evidence of an impartation for healing. It was an amazing, holy encounter with God. 

Just a few months later, however, in March of 2013, I was prayed for by Dr. Tom Jones, of Global Awakening. This time I was violently thrown to the floor, where for the next 3 hours my shoulder was continually slammed into the cement that was covered by only a thin veneer of carpet. I was bruised and sore for days. And the truth is, I am not sure what exactly was imparted to me in that event. Nevertheless, I know that God was meeting me.

God’s Perfect Plan

We know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). As we seek for an encounter with God, we must learn to wait for him to determine the perfect time and method to meet us. Again, these are holy moments. We don’t want to settle for a cheap imitation. And we certainly don’t want to get shortchanged in our rush for an experience with Him.

What I would encourage you to do is to look back over the encounters you have had in the past. It doesn’t have to be anything big. It may simply be the moment He called you to Himself in salvation. As you reflect on that encounter, I want you to take note of how only He could have put that moment together for you, and how He worked it out exactly as it needed to happen for you to receive.

As you pray for another encounter with God for your life today, hold on to the promise of His faithfulness to you, and trust that He has more He wants to give you when the time is right.

What About You?

In part two of this post, we will continue to look at Saul’s encounter with God, as we look at what happens during those holy moments. Although every encounter will be different, there are certain elements that we can expect from them all.

In the meantime, I would love to hear from you, with any stories you have of your own encounters with the Lord. It may be dreams, visions, angelic visitations, or even a face-to-face encounter with Christ. If the Lord allows you to share, I invite you to do so in the comments section below.

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Photo by Christopher Campbell on Unsplash