Have you ever had an encounter with the Living God? Do you have such encounters on a regular basis? Do you desire such an experience? If not, why not?
As I was thinking about this recently I came across Psalm 84 in which the Psalmist describes an experience I would consider to be an encounter or series of regular encounters with the living God.
Reading the Psalm over a few times and reflecting on its contents I noticed that it focused on the heart. Verse 2 says, “my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Verse 5 describes how blessed are hose “who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” Though the closing verses of the Psalm don’t mention the heart per se, they describe what I would call “heart bliss.”
Thus, I came up with a simple outline, describing what is involved in having an encounter with the living God. There are three progressive steps: a heart cry, a heart set and heart bliss.<p> Once a portion of the Bible is broken down into simple points like this, look for how those points are amplified. What does the writer say about a heart crying out for the living God? What does he say about a heart set? And how does he describe genuine heart bliss. What’s it like to experience God in a meaningful, life transforming way?
Once you’ve worked this out you again need to ask yourself the questions I started with. Have I ever had an encounter with the living God? Do I have such experiences on a regular basis? Would I want to have that kind of experience?
If so, join us as we amplify these points in subsequent visits.
