Appreciating Encounters With God
A Spiritual Practice Of Remembering God Encounters, Appreciating God From It, And Living Out Of Its Truths
tool created by Raimer Rojas
Apreciando Los Encuentros Con Dios (In Spanish)
The Value And Power Of Encounters With God
God has blessed us with many encounters with Him all throughout our life. If we take note of these we would see the extent of this reality. To remember and meditate on these God encounters is to uncover revelation about how much God loves us and is working to shape us in the likeness of His Son. This revelation in what He does carries with it much to say about who He is.
These God encounters help us to know Him better and deeper. And they assure us of His continual presence with us, and His greatness in every aspect of His character (His great love, His great mercy, etc.). As we get to know Him more, including His faithfulness in our lives, it will give us the faith and trust we need in Him to face the hard things we may encounter in our present and future dealings in life.
The touch of the Lord we experience in so many ways day by day is a gift from Him to us. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - James 1:17 NIV. God settles us and assures us in the works He does on our behalf. But this change and transformation in our lives will not happen if we do not develop the habit of appreciating, remembering and meditating on His acts of love that cover the history of our lives. We will not obtain the spiritual resources we need to face life in a fallen world, with confidence and assurance in God's presence with us and in His divine provision.
Each one of us is marked by much revelation in our relationship with God that tells us over and over again that He deeply loves us, faithfully provides, and helps us when we seek Him.
Instead of focusing on the many problems that limit us, why not renew our minds by remembering, meditating and appreciating what God has already done in our lives? These memories of a loving God will fill us with peace, joy, and hope. The God of our past will be faithful, strong and active in anything we may encounter in the future. This is the sure and faithful message for those who walk with God. Let us not minimize, devalue or overlook His gifts of past and present God encounters—coming pre-loaded with revelation of who God is—in everything He does in our lives.
The revelation of who God has been for you comes in many ways. Think about and remember some of these instances in your life:
Spiritual Practice: "Appreciating Encounters With God"
Journal, Pray & Share!1. RECALL (remember what happened)
Recall a positive memory where you felt God’s presence working in your life.
A good positive memory is one that is like a "rose without thorns"–a memory that doesn't bring you back into pain, sorrow, or sadness, taking you into painful emotions instead releasing joy. It is important to choose carefully with a focus on a memory that is full of positive thoughts, feelings and emotions.
2. FEEL (re-experience what happened)
Allow yourself to re-enter the experience and deeply feel the positive emotions, feelings and thoughts in that memory.
3. GIVE THANKS (thank God for what He did)
Thank God for what He did for you then, in that memory, and how it impacted you.
4. ASK FOR REVELATION TO APPRECIATE GOD (receive and be strengthened by the revelation of who God is to you)
Ask God for revelation from what He did then to help you to see and experience Him more clearly now in the present. What did that encounter reveal about His nature and character, what He thinks and feels, and how He operates? Jot it down and appreciate Him in what He reveals to you.
5. APPLY (live out of these truths and reject lies that do not line up with this revelation)
Apply the truths of who God is, as revealed in that memory, into the present situations and challenges you face. Reflect on any way you have already made changes in your life because of these and celebrate any growth through a spirit of gratitude. Then look into present areas and challenges in your life where these truths have yet to make impact. What steps might you take to apply these?
Biblical Texts Related to Encounters With God
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." - Ephesians 1:17-19a NIV
"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you." - Deuteronomy 6:6-9,17 ESV
"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple." - Psalm 27:4 ESV
"I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me." - Psalm 63:2-8 NIV
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV
Downloadable Image To Remember This Spiritual Practice (In English & Spanish)
