A Love Encounter With Christ

Today, I had a love encounter with Christ. The past couple of weeks, although tiring and hard, have been a time of awakening-or the beginning of an awakening for me. And especially since this past Thursday, I really have just felt God draw so near to me and felt him showing me more of himself known to me. His presence has been in this place-wherever this place has been exactly. I guess you could say it's been all over the place. Thursday I was sitting at Pearl Cup coffee house, Friday I was outside at Turtle Creek Park, and today I find myself at Treasure Cay Island in the Bahamas. This "place" has not been stationary. It's moved across boarders and even across the country lines. But by no means has that stopped the Lord from being here. Right here, right now, in this place. Where I am, there he has been. He has been awakening my heart, drawing me closer to the heart of God and bringing me to times of complete stillness. Times where I can just stop and be. Times where for the moment, the world seems to stop and all else fades. And I am left alone with Jesus. Surrounded by my maker's presence and captivated by his beauty, his goodness and the greatnsss of his creation. He stops me long enough so I can listen and really hear him. He stops me so I can really feel him-all around me. I am in that place, that still-time moment where I cant help but smile and pray and praise him. Call out for him to be my everything. Call out for him to take all of it-all of my wants, my needs, desires, passions, disappointments, fears, inadequate feelings, sins, all of it-to take it and steal my life. All of who I am all of who I hope and dream and wish to be, all of what I think I'm not-and make it his. Because I am his. My life is his life.

A beautiful love encounter with Jesus. And what's even cooler, is even thought he past few days have been a re occurring love encounter with him, I know its not even about the "feeling" per se. And so I have hope, that even though my heart still desires for this "feeling" that comes with this love encounter to be even more powerful and more real, I know its okay. Because its still just as real, just as powerful, and just as much from God as anything. So I am thankful for that. It is so much more than the feeling of it all. And that, I cannot help but think is a blessing. For the Lord to reveal himself even more beyond feelings. He is that big and that capable to be able to do such a thing. As humans, we constantly rely on the "feeling" of it all, or more so, the "right feeling." The right feeling of the first kiss, the right feeling of success, the right feeling of acceptance and love. But the truth is, all of these feelings are measured according to worldly standards. We look to the world to provide us with the answer as to what an adequate feeling is, to what a meaningful, the most meaningful feeling, really feels like. It almost makes me laugh, because God is so much bigger than that! So much bigger and more powerful then any of those feelings. Those feelings are only big enough to stick in a bottle. Those feelings barely scratch the surface. Those feelings could be kept inside a box and would never be pressing hard enough to escape because they are that small and trapped and limited. God is bigger. I am here to tell you, that God is bigger then that bottle, bigger then that box. God doesn't just scratch the surface. He explodes it.

Lord I pray that you put this fear of mine to rest. A fear that you are already completely aware of. You knew about it before I did. You know my hearts' needs before I do. So this fear of mine-that this passion I have to draw near to you will soon fade-well that this very fear, you were already aware of. And I want to surrender it to you God. I don't want to believe in it because it is a lie. Lord may I surrender this fear of mine, completely to you. Do not let it sink into me as truth. Overcome this fear Lord. And so instead of believing this, I cry out to you these lyrics that speak so well to my heart (David Crowder):

Send me a sign. A hint. A whisper.

Throw me a light. Cuz I am listening.

Come break the quiet. Breathe your awakening.

Bring me the light. Cuz I am fading.

Surround me with a rush of angels, awake.

Shine your lights o I can see you.

Pull me up, I need to be near you.

Hold me, I need to feel loved.

Can you overcome this heart thats overcome?

This Lord, is a prayer of my heart. I pray for, day after day, more love encounters with you. I will continue to draw near to you Lord. And you promise in James 4:8, that if I do then you will draw near to me.

James 4:8

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

So I will hold onto that promise. I pray for continued awakening. Awaken this heart of mine. Open these eyes. That I may be completely aware of my creator. That i may be totally overwhelmed by your presence, your jealous love of a hurricane for me, and completely in awe of our beauty, your great affection for me, and the great power of your hands. I pray that you will do whatever you have to do to wake up this sleepy heart of mine and set it on fire for you alone-my Savior, my God. This is a prayer that I have been coming to you with for quite some time. But like you tell me in Matthew 7:7-8, I will continue knocking at your door, seeking you, asking you to answer Lord. And according to your will and perfect timing, I know you will.

Matthew 7:7-8

Ask and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives, and he who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

But I must draw near to you. This is a conviction you have made known to me and I thank you for making me aware of that. That I must draw near to you. Something I have neglected doing for quite some time. I have been complacent in my drawing near to you. And for that I cannot do anything but seek your forgiveness. I must draw near to you and seek you. Lord you will find me. You will wake me up, reveal more of who you are to me, set my heart on fire for you so that I cant help but fall on my knees in a beautiful surrender and in complete worship for who you are. I want to encounter more real then ever, the love of God. Blow up my mind God. Open my heart God and open up my spirit God-to you and to a love encounter with you. On that goes deeper then the deepest of blue seas.

And Lord I pray this for my friends as well. That their hearts and spirits would be opened to you and to a love encounter with you. More real than ever before. Lord I pray the lyrics to "How he loves" (David Crowder)

He is jealous for me.

Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree

Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy

When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions, eclipsed by glory

And I realize just how beautiful you are

And how great your affections are for me

And O, how he loves us all

O, how he loves us

How he loves us all

Yeah, he loves us, O, how he loves us

O, how he loves us, O, how he loves us.

A beautiful love encounter with our creator Jesus. Thank you Lord, with everything I have, thank you. Spirit fall down on me.

"Spirit Fall" (Phil Wickham)

How we need your light, guide us in your grace, guide us home

Lord, be all that we can see

We ask for you to come, we are on our knees

Save us by your grace. Lead us home

Spirit, fall. Hear the voices of, your children call out to you

We bow down. Hear the broken heart.

Have mercy on us now

Love is pouring from your heart

Hope is in your hands, life is in your arms

Here in your embrace, we are home

Glory, all the power is yours, Amen.