John Walt

The encounter that changes everything.

Encountering God is a challenging topic to write on. The last few months, it has become clear to me that it’s something we don’t talk enough about. In Note 12, I wrote on the separation of the sacred and the secular. We tend to see sacred things as different from the rest of life, and so they get relegated to church, retreats, and quiet times. We often struggle to see the spiritual overlaying every part of our lives, even the most mundane things. We are spirit and flesh. Without acknowledging and living from that awareness, we trap ourselves in dualistic thinking. When we embrace that we are spiritual and that God is with us in all things, then we must ask what does that mean and how might it look?

In high school, a good friend of mine died when he was hit by a drunk driver. It was the darkest season of my life. I struggled with depression and was questioning so many things about God. I had been through several years of difficult challenges and my friend's death felt like it could push me over the edge. One night, I just asked God to hold me. I felt the presence of God surround me, and I felt Him “holding me.” I couldn’t make sense of the challenging years I was having, but I could in that moment feel the presence of God; I was encountering the divine. I often think back to that moment. It was the first time I encountered God. It left such a strong impression on me. The challenges of that season of life did not go away, but I knew God was really with me, and that changed everything.

I have talked with many people about encounters with God over the years, and often they tell me their stories of experiencing the divine. It might have been a moment when they felt the presence of God near them, or a word they heard, or a feeling that brought them to tears. These moments are clearly some of the most treasured experiences of their lives. Most people I have talked to only have one or two of these. Some have many, but few people seem to think that this could be a way of life. I feel strongly that it should be normal, that we are made to live from union with God, and the further we journey with Him, the more normal encounters become.

I was praying about buying something the other day, and God showed me a picture of myself as a young 10 or 12 year-old boy. I asked Him what it meant, and for the next 20 minutes He showed me parts of my life where I have felt let down by Him and others. Those experiences led me to believe lies about God’s goodness. He spoke to my heart and showed me where I couldn’t fully trust Him. Then, He spoke words that began to heal me. It felt like waves of relief and freedom. I was just sitting in front of my computer, asking God if I should buy something. This happens often when I ask God a practical question. He takes the simple, ordinary things in life, and uses them to guide me into more freedom, more of who I am made to be.

Encounters

When the creator invades our daily lives, even in the gentlest ways, it disrupts everything. We are reminded of how small we are and how little we understand. We suddenly have to embrace the unknown. God is not following a formula and He is not predictable; He isn’t understandable or controllable. When we stare at the vast ocean, we feel small, when we look at a treacherous mountain, we feel vulnerable, when we wander in a dense forest, we feel lost. I think it's the same with God, only far more extreme. When I encounter God, I feel small, vulnerable, and lost, but most importantly, I feel God with me. I am usually left with a feeling that I think can be called, in some small way, the fear of the Lord. I know nothing, I am very small, I am not in control, and yet I am loved, guided, and cared for by the Creator.

Encounters with God shouldn’t be rare and uncommon. I think our daily lives should be marked by regular encounters with God. Every decision in life is an opportunity to invite God into our family, work, and relationships. Which part of our lives do we not want God to show up in? I think most of us think we want Him in every part of our lives. If that's the case, then we need to actively and regularly invite God into everything we are doing, ask Him to go before us and guide us.

I walked into a meeting with my insurance broker years ago, and when I left, God showed me a picture of how He was working through that man and in his office every day. I was wrecked. I went to a park and just sat there crying and repenting. I had been so focused at that point in my life on the big, impressive things we can do for God, and in a simple insurance office, God flipped my paradigm upside down. I saw my arrogance for not recognizing that the work of God happens in everyday places. It hurt to see that, it hurt to feel that conviction, but it was good and freeing.

Many people seem to reject the simple ways that God steps into their lives. The little pictures in their mind, the still small voice, the subtle conviction. It's easy to ignore and reject the ways God steps into our lives because we aren’t certain it is Him. What if it's not really God and it's just my mind coming up with a picture or a word? Here are a few practical things I do to ensure I am hearing God clearly.

Tribe of advisors: I never make meaningful decisions without wise counsel, even if I feel that I have heard strongly from God. It’s not that I don’t trust God; I just don’t trust myself to always hear and understand God perfectly. The cool thing is my wise advisors aren’t interested in controlling me, they just help me hear God. So their advice always helps me find clarity and conviction about God’s leading.

Heather's agreement: I never make a decision that Heather isn’t in agreement with me on. I try my best not to convince her of what I think is right or what I want. This has saved me so many times. We are partners in everything, so why would I want to make decisions alone? There were many times that I had a strong opinion early on in our marriage and didn’t do what I wanted because she wasn’t on board with it. Almost always, I realized that her guidance kept me from a bad decision. Our relationship goes much deeper than the practical and logistical. We share all our encounters and most of our conversations with God with each other. We both help each other see more clearly what God is doing and how He is leading.

Time and Fruit: If the word is from God, it will bear good fruit. With time, we can usually see what comes from words, pictures, and experiences that we feel are from God. Multiple times, I felt very strongly that I heard God about huge life decisions. My advisors and Heather felt like I was wrong about what God was saying, so I waited. Within months, I usually can see very clearly that the fruit of the decision would not have been good. Other times I have dived in immediately and realized weeks, months, or years later that I moved too quickly. Was I wrong, did God not speak, or was I confused about what exactly He meant? I believe the answer is almost always, it doesn’t matter. The purpose of talking with God is to grow closer to Him, not to always get things right.

The Hearing God Chart: ONE is a prayer ministry in San Antonio that I have been a part of for years. They put out a Hearing God Chart that is very helpful in helping us discern the voice of God. It uses scripture to show what the voice of God usually sounds like and what the voice of the accuser usually sounds like. God doesn’t shame us, blame us, is not driven by fear or lack, and always brings conciliation, connection, hope, and freedom. Check it out.

In order to embrace and pursue a life of connection with God, we must be ok with embracing the unknown. Christian theology has accidentally scared most of us away from encountering God because it doesn’t fit nicely into our box and line thinking. We tend to want clear definitions of who God is and how He works so that we can be sure we are right. In my experience, God doesn’t fit nicely in boxes, and every way that He moves is outside of my comfort zone. He is completely unpredictable. The cost of excluding encounters with God from our faith communities is generations of people who love God, follow Jesus’s teaching, and yet are seemingly afraid to have a conversational relationship with their creator.

Many Christian communities are comfortable with God speaking to them through the still small voice or through strong feelings of peace or conviction. But what about when an encounter is more than a word, a picture, or a feeling? It seems many people get uncomfortable with what I will call the “more of God.” Their apprehension is well-founded; many unhealthy people have abused and manipulated others while professing the miraculous nature of God. Signs and wonders have often been a crutch that keeps people from real maturity and health. But does that mean God doesn’t move in bigger ways?

Encountering God doesn’t have to be mysterious or hard. It’s an invitation. It is as simple as asking God to come closer. He is waiting and ready to be with us. We all need the encounter that changes everything. Most of the books and articles I have read about encountering God are vague, mystical, and emotionally focused. So I would like to offer you a few verses, a prayer, a reminder, and a resource.

James 4:8, "Come near to God and he will come near to you."
Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Prayer: God, I want to encounter you more. I desperately want to feel closer to you. Forgive me for the lies that I believe that keep me from You. I surrender all that I am completely to you. Have your way in my life, God. I give you my fears, insecurities, shame, and lack of trust. I ask you to heal my brokenness, restore me. Please show me how you see me, God. Help me to recognize how close you are to me. I invite you, God, the great Healer, to invade my life.

Reminder: I have been praying the prayers from Note 18 (Courageous Prayers), and I can say I am encountering God a lot more as a result. Those are really powerful prayers. If you pray them every day for a month, things will start to happen. I am not sure what, but it will be good. I personally feel so much closer to God.

Resource: If this note resonates with you and you want spiritual healing, then please let me know, and I will connect you with friends who can guide you through healing prayer. If you are curious about encountering God and want to talk about it, please let me know. I am happy to dive deeper into this with you.

- John Walt

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