This post is intended to be used in conjunction with the 12-week Bible Study of Experiencing God by Henry, Richard, and Mike Blackaby and Claude V. King. References to specific quotes and texts are indicated by ‘EG’ and the corresponding page number and come from the 2022 publication. Experiencing God available through Amazon
Have you ever had an experience like the one on page 69? A time when God knew your need and provided for you at just the right time? How did you feel?
I’ve had several experiences like that. And the one word I’d use to describe my feelings is humbled. One instance that stands out occurred many years ago. I had a close friend with whom I would go to lunch every Friday. She was (and still is) a great friend that knew me very, very well. I enjoyed our Friday lunches. It was a weekly splurge and treat for me. Money was always a little tight, but we ate at fast food restaurants or with coupons often, so it was always a frugal meal.
However, this one week, I had no spare cash and my bank account was in the single digits. I didn’t have enough to go to Friday lunch. I knew that if I had told her I couldn’t go, she would have insisted on paying for my lunch. I also knew that if I made up some lame excuse, she knew me well enough to suspect I didn’t have the money.
I fretted about it. About mid-week, I started to pray and ask God that He would provide me with just a few dollars so that I could pay for my meal and she’d never know. Wednesday came and there was no new money. Thursday, from sun up to sun down, I waited expectantly, but no monetary blessing came my way. Now, I know what you’re thinking: God is an on-time God who provided me lunch money right before noon on Friday. That’s what I expected, but God had something else in mind.
You see, we woke up that Friday morning to an unexpected snowfall. It was just enough snow that our offices were closed. God hadn’t provided what I asked for; instead, He provided something far better. I got a day off from work, playing with my girls in the snow, and eating a lunch that was already in my refrigerator.
That was a practical way for me to experience God providing in a way I couldn’t even imagine. To think that God answered my prayer in such an all-inclusive way that affected so many others was humbling. Did God simply send snow in response to my prayer about lunch money? I don’t think God works on just one level. I believe that snowfall served many purposes that day – one which just happened to be beneficial to me. That God would tend to my request in such an unexpected way still puts a smile on my face when I think about it.
Through that experience and others like it, I came to know God as my Provider, Jehovah Jireh.
“You will never be satisfied merely to know about God. You come to know God through experience as He reveals Himself to you and you respond to what He says.” “In the Bible, God took the initiative to reveal Himself to people by experience. Frequently, when God revealed Himself to individuals, He disclosed a new name to them or described Himself in a fresh way. To a Hebrew, a person’s name represented his character and described his nature. This is why in the Bible we frequently see new names or titles for God following an event in which someone experienced God in a fresh way. To know God by name required a personal experience of His presence.”(EG, pg. 70)
Take a look at the list of names, titles, and descriptions of God on page 72. There are 44 entries!
There are numerous names for God listed in the Bible; each one represents His character that is revealed.
Jehovah Jireh – The LORD our provider (Gen. 22:14) We saw Jehovah Jireh in the story on page 69.
Jehovah Rapha – The LORD our Healer (Ex. 15:26)
Jehovah Shamma – The LORD is Here (Ez. 48:35)
Jehovah Nissi – The LORD our Banner (Ex. 17:15) – We saw this on day 1 of this week.
Jehovah Raah (raw) – The LORD our Shepherd (Ps. 23:1)
YHWH (Ex. 3:13-15) – We talked about this last week. It’s the personal name of God and is correctly pronounced as if breathing in and breathing out.
Abba Father (Romans 8:15)
Adonai which means “Lord” and signifies sovereignty. (1 Sam. 24:8)
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Rev. 22:13)
Elohim – meaning Supreme One (Gen 1:1)
El-Shaddai – God Almighty (Gen 17:1)
Chances are that one of these is real and personal to you because of an experience you’ve been through. Jehovah Jireh is meaningful to me because God has provided; not just monetary means, but strength, determination, courage, and just the resilience to get through hardships.
While we may not know or recognize all of the characteristics of God, however, when we have an intimate relationship with Him, we come to know different aspects of Who He is.
“Different names tell different stories. El Shaddai will tell us a different story than Elohim. Because we are finite beings, we have trouble grasping the magnitude of our God. But when we learn the different names of Jesus, we can better understand. The more we understand something or someone, the greater the relationship.”[i]
Day 2 is titled “Worship God”. On page 73, there is a list of ways to worship God.
Timothy Keller once said, “You don’t get to decide to worship. Everyone worships something. The only choice you get is what to worship.”[ii]
Looking at that list on page 73, these are things that are familiar to us.
- Bless His name.
- Rejoice in His name.
- Know His name.
- Seek His name.
- Single to His name.
- Trust in His name.
But how often are we exercising these with God’s name? Weekly? Every other day? Every day?
Hebrews 13;15 NIV “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” (emphasis added)
Day 3 – “God takes the initiative to pursue a love relationship with you. This love relationship is not a one-sided affair. He wants you to know Him, worship Him, and love Him.” (EG, pg. 74)
Have you ever liked or even loved someone who didn’t love you back? It’s not a good feeling. The rejection and disappointment are brutal.
“If I love Him, I will obey Him.”
(EG, pg. 74)
Why do we struggle so much with being obedient? Is it that we aren’t sure it’s God speaking to us? Is it that we don’t want to get out of our comfort zone? Do we feel inadequate?
One of the summary statements from day 3 is “If you have an obedience problem, you have a love problem.” (EG, pg. 75) How does that statement make you feel? It’s like a gut punch to me. I love God! I’m thankful to Him for all He has done and continues to do for me! I’m amazed at how He loves me despite who I am. But there are times when He calls me to join Him and do something and I’m hesitant, unwilling, or I exercise selective hearing.
“When your life is in the middle of God’s activity, He will rearrange your thinking. God’s ways and thoughts are so different from yours and mine they will often sound wrong of impossible. Your heart must be prepared to believe God and trust Him completely. You must believe that what He is doing is best for you. Don’t try to second-guess Him. Let Him be God.” (EG, pg. 76)
Day 4 is titled “God Invites You to Join Him.
Répondez s’il vous plaît. Fancy word, isn’t it? We know it as R.S.V.P. and it means to “respond to an invitation.” (Merriam Webster) If you’ve ever hosted a party, wedding, or baby shower, you depend on people to respond to the invitation. Some people will R.S.V.P. their regrets. Some will let you know they intend to attend and they do. And then some say they’re coming, but never show up, never give an explanation or apology. Those “no-shows” can be a bit frustrating.
When we are saved, God invites us to join Him. By our acceptance of His salvation, we are R.S.V.P.’ing (yes, I realize that’s not a word) that we’ll be there! Count us in! But then we often fail to show up. We don’t offer any explanation or ask forgiveness for our disobedience. In fact, we may not even see it as disobedience. If we do acknowledge our “no show”, we make excuses and never realize the importance and the privilege that God wants us involved in His work.
This is the invitation God extends to us. It’s the 3rd reality that comes after the fact that God is always at work around you. (Are you being alert to see where God is working? Is He revealing His activity to you? If so, how are you responding?) The 2nd reality is that He pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal. (Do you feel close to Him? Do you feel loved by Him and do you love Him with all your mind, soul, and heart?)
If God reveals His activity to you and you are in a relationship with Him, the next step is the invitation to join Him. Sometimes, we get stuck on reality #2. We see God working and think that’s grand and we praise Him and thank Him for what He’s doing. But when His invitations start rolling in, well, we have other plans. And we never get to see firsthand what God is doing, and we never experience what it’s like working with God. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it many times again. We sometimes busy ourselves working FOR God that we don’t have time to work WITH God. And there’s a definite distinction between the two.
We sometimes busy ourselves working FOR God that we don’t have time to work WITH God.
“My Father is still working, and I am working also. Truly, I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing.” (John 5:17,19-20)
How did Jesus know what to do in His Father’s work?
If Jesus looked to the Father to see what needed to be done, then who are we to think we know what needs to be done? It is entirely possible to do good things with bad or selfish intentions.
Proverbs 16:2 GW “A person thinks all his ways are pure, but the LORD weighs motives.”
Don’t get crippled by this like I have. I had an opportunity this past week to pay for someone’s meal, here at church. I was behind this lady in line, waiting to pay. She was someone I had never seen before. She was all alone. She had more than an average meal for one person. When she got up to pay, she asked how much it was going to be and it was confusing because she had mixed a flat price meal with the salad bar and grab and go meal that you pay by the weight – all in one container. She seemed concerned about the price and that’s when I felt nudged to step up and tell the cashier to add hers to mine and I’d pay for them both. But I hesitated. Was I going to embarrass the woman or bless her? What would the cashier think? Were my motives to help the lady, help the cashier, or make me feel good about myself? The cashier explained how the meals worked and ended up charging her only the flat rate. The lady paid what was owed and walked away. I was disappointed in myself because I had hesitated to act on what I am sure God was inviting me to do. I missed an experience of God because I didn’t join Him when He invited me to do so.
How do we know when God is working and when He’s inviting us to join Him?
- You must live in an intimate love relationship with God.
2. God must take the initiative to open your spiritual eyes so you can see what He is doing. (EG, pg. 80)
“Sometimes God tries to get our attention by revealing where He is at work. We see it, but we do not immediately identify it as His activity. We say to ourselves, I don’t know whether God wants me to get involved here. I had better pray about it.” (EG, pg. 82)
Sadly, many of us can identify with that. But think about how silly that sounds. If God invites you to join Him, why would you need to pray to God to ask Him if you should respond to His invitation?
“Pray and watch to see what God does next.” (EG, pg. 84)
“Sometimes it’s not the big things God calls you to do, but the small things that have a big impact.” (EG, pg. 87) The story told in this week’s video was about Mike Blackaby feeling compelled to bake cookies for his neighbor. Sometimes, it’s just as simple as that.
God’s invitation has been sent. Are you willing to show up?
“We will see just how small were all the world’s big things, and just how big was the day of small things.” (Scott Hubbard)[iii]
[i] Names of God in the Bible: Verses and Meaning (christianity.com)
Beacons of Light 