An Encounter

Do you ever have a memory so specific that it draws all of your attention to it? When it happens it seems as if you’re there again, with all the smells, breeze, and people? You can almost hear their voices and feel their clothes? I have those moments all the time. It’s strange that I can’t remember why I came to the store, when I’m standing in front of the milk selection, but I can remember my great aunt’s house and her front porch just the same as if it happened today. I injured myself on a trampoline at her house. I can remember the date, time, who was there, and what transpired afterwards. It’s burnt into my memory like it happened this morning. I can even remember the sound of the dog’s bark, the clothes my cousins and friends were wearing. Without going into detail here, it was enough of an event to etch that memory permanently into my mind. 

Significant people, events, and encounters will do that to you. One such event is recorded for us in Ezekiel chapter one. Ezekiel was a prophet of God in captivity in Babylon with the rest of the Jewish children. He wrote quite a bit of prophecy that appears on our nightly news to this day. Exciting events have taken place throughout human history since the writing of this book. I want to draw your attention to the first three verses in the first chapter, his introduction. 

In verse one Ezekiel records— “Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” That’s really specific isn’t it? It makes sense, given the nature of the event he was just exposed to. Ezekiel said— “…that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God…” That moment in time would be etched in my mind for sure! He doesn’t stop there. He goes on with some more specifics in verse two— “In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity,” Again, this is not just him dating his writing but more about him pinning the event down where God made a significant course correction in his life. 

A God-encounter should be more frequent than not for a follower of Jesus. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us into His Word of Truth, on the daily. He is there as the source of our life and each and every movement. He wants to involve Himself in the minutia of the lives of His dear children. It isn’t like there is a mystery to His working within us either; Jesus defined His Spirit’s operation in John 14-16 and more so in His prayer in 17. It should be clear, defined, and often. 

In verse three He explains further with— “The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.” One, “the word of the Lord came”. Isn’t that enough to remember. Today it seems the Word of God is read, delivered, taught and proclaimed… but soon forgotten. Where is the emphasis in that God is speaking?! On Sunday mornings a group of men meet in one of our rooms called the ‘Decision Room’ to pray over and for the speaker of the day. This prayer time is special and essential. Why? It isn’t the man, he is just an instrument. It is because we want to hear from God in this way also. I trust each one of the men in that room is studying and meditating on scripture every day, but that’s not sufficient for the times we live in. All of us in that room know the battle that is at hand and the desperate necessity we have for more truth from God. We want an encounter with God that makes us pin down that moment in time as a moment where God spoke clearly to His children. Secondly, he said that the word “… came expressly unto Ezekiel…” I did some research and found the Hebrew word there for “expressly”is simply ‘it happened’ or ‘come to pass’. But Ezekiel saw it as something expressly given. Of course he did! When God speaks through His word and defined by His Spirit to us today, it shouldn’t be with hesitation or reserve. When this happens, it shouldn’t be with doubt or wonder if we really did just see or hear that. It should be defined. It was expressly given to him. When God tells, shows, or does something for or to you, it should be abundantly apparent. 

Last Ezekiel mentions in verse three— “…and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.” That is an amazing statement. God makes His discussions with us personal. God chooses to reach out to us, we ought to pay closer attention to Him speaking. In the text here, Ezekiel goes on to describe what the Lord has to tell him. In our own lives, when God speaks, either through our daily Bible reading, teachers of His Word, or from a movement of the Spirit, we ought to elevate that experience where it belongs. 

When God speaks, it should be something we never forget. It should be something so etched in our memories that we can draw back to it with joy and anticipation of the next encounter. It should be more often than not. It should be something we want to share with others. It should be an encounter with the living Christ. If you study, worship, prayer time, and daily walk isn’t like this… ask Him why. Maybe we have grown cold, calculated, or even distant. We all tend to drift away anyway, don’t we? Need a fresh encounter? Ask Him to meet with you. Stop what you’re doing and assess what your walk is like now. Ask Him to show you where you’re off track. Seek Him afresh today.