MEETING GOD

I am the first and I am the last;
besides me, there is no god.
Isaiah 44:6

 

In each of us, there is a hunger for union with God. Some of us have spent many years trying to fill that hunger with other things – success in the secular world, career, family, friends, money, relationships, material objects. While each of these things can be a source of satisfaction, none of them can fill the God-shaped space in our hearts or satisfy that deep yearning in our souls.

Meeting God is the first step to finding true joy and peace.

There are many ways to meet God. Some of us can't remember the first time we met God. Like a loving parent, God was always there for us, a warm and unfailing presence that gave us a sense of security and love.

Many of us, however, lived much of our lives without direct awareness of God and can remember to the day and minute when God became a vital part of our lives. For some of us, the introduction came with the sound of God's voice. Others report the touch of an unseen, but compassionate, hand. Still others recount seeing Jesus before them.

For some, this life-changing encounter took place in the context of a life crisis or a time of great grief or regret. For others, God made his presence known during a time of great joy. In many cases, the meeting with God came as the result of witness by others whose lives had already been transformed by God.

The Bible, too, is filled with stories of simple people whose lives were radically changed after encountering God. God chooses many different – and to us, bizarre! – ways to make his presence known and his will clear. Moses was taking care of his father-in-law's flock when God appeared in a burning bush and summoned the stunned shepherd to deliver the children of Israel from the Egyptians. Paul was on the road to Damascus, intent on persecuting more followers of Jesus, when he was blinded by a light from heaven and heard the Lord's voice speak directly to him.

There are no bad ways to get to God!

Perhaps you haven't met God yet. You may have been baptized as a child. You may have joined a church. You may even attend worship services regularly and take an active role in church functions. But you have never felt God's presence or known Jesus' love. You wonder what all the passion is about. You can't imagine having your entire life dominated by a love relationship with someone you haven't even seen!

Take heart. Perhaps you just weren't ready, or God has chosen a different place and time to meet you. When you are ready to admit you really need God, God will be there. You have the rest of your life to spend coming to know God.