Experiencing Him

 

I often watch reruns of “Murder She Wrote”— some corny, others very good. In nearly every episode, someone in the story has read her books but has not actually met her until that part of the story. This is a reminder that I read the Word of God for seventeen years before I actually met the Author.

Lately I’m reading Charles Todd who writes incredible historical fiction. On a lark, I even joined his fan club on social media and asked some questions about his method. What a surprise when this author answered me himself. This is not the same as meeting him, but it did affect the way I read his books.

From this, I realize the EXPERIENCE of meeting Jesus goes above meeting human authors. When I read the Bible now, I hear the Lord is speaking to me personally. Each day, He gives me what I need to hear, knowing what is going on in my life and knowing what I need to overcome daily challenges.

The OT word that is translated experience covers physical skill and intellectual wisdom rather than the idea of personally having an event happen to you or having first-hand knowledge of something by actually being there or going through it in person. However, the idea of experiencing God is front and center in the lives of those who did. The terms used are about ‘knowing’ God meaning a first-hand, personal experience of Him

The first OT person that comes to mind is Abraham. God told him to leave his home and take his family to a place he did not know. How did that happen? He didn’t have a Bible or a letter or a map, and no vision is recorded. Somehow God made Himself known to this man and he experienced God.

The Bible is full of such experiences. Adam and Eve experienced the presence of God in the garden, both before and after their sin. Jacob experienced God in a dream:

Genesis 28:12–17. “And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven . . . . And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring . . . . Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’ ”

Moses experienced God at a burning bush and later as God spoke to him about the way He wanted His people to live. His people experienced answers to their prayers with His activity on their behalf. David experienced both conviction of sin and the freedom of forgiveness in his relationship with the Lord. The OT stories show me that God was able to make Himself known even without the wonder of His book that He now uses.

Hebrews 1:1–3. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

The NT reveals the biggest reason for not experiencing God. Our sin hides Him; we cannot experience the wonder of who He is and the wonder of His appearing as a Man who is God to deal with that sin. People everywhere are “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth” and do not experience or know Jesus because sin is the barrier. That is why Jesus came —  to take down that barrier.

John 17:3. “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Like having a relationship with the author of a book changes how I read the book, having a relationship with Jesus changes how I read His Book. I hear Him speaking in its pages.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. A real Person authored this beloved manuscript. It is like a love letter, like a deed or contract, like an individualized set of instructions for life, like a whisper in my ear. It is Jesus, alive and known. He wants me to live and experience His abundant life. Even on those hard days when sorrow floods my mind or nothing seems right, the experience of Jesus at my side changes all grieving, all fears and frustrations to a glorious realization that the Author of life walks through my story, promising to be with me and to make the ending a wonderful victory.