An Encounter With God's Presence

James 4:8 Draw near to God, and He'll draw near to you….

Sonar-a system used by submarines, bats, dolphins to learn about their environment by actively interacting with it and interpreting the feedback to form an impression of the shape and direction of other objects in their range and to possibly identify something they cannot see with their eyes.

In some strange way this morning, I find my mind associating the concept of sonar with prayer. As I pray, I'm sending out personal information to God from the parts of myself that I can see- i.e. my heart, mind, emotions and character. What I send up to God is who I am, and He does not reflect it back to me unless there is unconfessed sin. Did you ever hear the saying "prayers went no higher than the ceiling"?

What does come back from God is not who "I" am, but "Who I AM". The Holy Spirit brings the Holy Character of God back as His communication back to me-His Presence. It is then that I can get a glimpse inside of Who He Is-His Omnipotent Perfect Eternal Character as He transcends the vast chasm of distance between who I am and WHO HE IS. And I enter into His Presence as His Presence envelopes me. It is at this point that I can begin to appreciate His Holiness, Sovereignty and the Infinite Quality of His Changeless and Matchless Character. As soon as this happens (His "ping" to me) I respond with the confession again of who I am-small, powerless, needy, sinful, immature, dependent upon His grace and mercy. But in addition, thanks to Christ in me, I also have hope, direction, purpose, trust in Him, faith in His Faithfulness and Power, His Righteousness and Justice, in His Ability, to exceed every need I have, to Tower Over any problem I face, to Understand my deepest fears, hurts, hopes, desires, and to transform me from the inside out to begin to reflect His values in my life.

I once taught a lesson in Breakout on ‘quiet time’. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. It's sometimes hard to convey the value of developing spiritual discipline since it is something that is part of the invisible human realm. So, in an effort to explain this concept in a visual way, I used the example of glow-in-the-dark stars. These stars had no light of their own to shine (no power) but when the star was brought close to the light for a time it glowed and gave a soft light in the darkness until the effect faded. So, I sought to explain our need for daily "recharging" by spending time in God's Presence. That way, His Power can work through our lives and draw others to Him. The interesting factor in this equation is: The closer to the light you hold the star, the longer and more intensely it shines in the darkness. Also, the more frequently it is "recharged," the more effective it can be to give light to others. When I think of monks and others who "retreat" from society to live out their lives in God's Presence, it makes me sad, because they have no effect bringing light into the darkness through their lives. They are like a light under a bowl. (Matthew 5:14-16) John, who knew Jesus better than Matthew, saw the deeper Truth: Jesus is the light (John 8:12)

Personally, next to the exquisite joy of just being in the Presence of Perfect Holy Love, I am finding great value of His Light in my life as I seek to develop my understanding of my relationships with others. If I could explain in a tangible illustration how I see this working in my life, it might look like my vision being increased by God's Power/Light to see things that were previously invisible to me. "Insight" would be a good play on words. In a dimly lit room, things seem dark, solid and shadowy. But the more the light increases, the less shadowy and ultimately, the less solid than they appear. Seeing beneath the surface-like an x-ray. Seeing past the surface (anger, disobedience, apathy) to the heart (hurt, sin, abandonment). The benefit of this insight is dependent upon how much of God's Character I have "breathed in" to my heart during my time with Him. If I have a good understanding of God's Righteousness, and if I can see a person's brokenness, I can reach out to them in true compassion and let God's power work through me (like a Hand (God) in a glove (me)) to offer comfort to them. Then, they can experience His love in a practical way, so that at least for a moment, the "Invisible" can be visible and tangible to them.

The difference in the degree of definition of the sonar between the submarine, the bat, and the dolphin is like the picture of the Trinity of God's nature, and shows a progressive dimension of one to the other until the fullness is achieved.

A submarine's capability is to gather truth-knowledge. It is limited, and it does not give it power to function, only to avoid obstacles. It can't feel or connect to the environment, it can only gather facts.

A bat's capability is one dimension more. It can know the truth/knowledge about its surroundings, but it is also equipped with wisdom/the "way" which allows and enables it to use that information to find food, which empowers it to continue living. But, it cannot see where it is going-it runs on faith.

The dolphin adds even more dimension. It can sense obstacles in murky water, find fish hiding under sand on the ocean floor for food, but--it can also see! And it can sense through nerve endings vibrations which enrich its understanding and enjoyment of his surroundings instead of depending only on hearing. Also, it can use its sonar/sounds to communicate and build relationships with those around him.

So, in the end, the Truth is an all-important foundation to build on. When we add in faith, it adds a second dimension, the Way. But the fullness of relationship that God has planned for us only comes through communion with Him through the Holy Spirit, Who Is The Life.