Encounter with the LORD

1 Samuel 3: 19, ”So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words [d]fall to the ground.”

Often after the 1st touch of the Lord, or the spiritual rebirth experience, we experience a drastic change in our lives. After a few years, we then continue to live with little or no change in our lives. With time, our aspiration for further transformation dwindles and we take it for granted that the lives we are living are ok for us and for our Lord. This is often termed as ‘comfort zone’….being content with our relation with our Lord or not desiring to have a closer or more intimate relation with God.

Samuel’s birth was an answer to a barren woman’s tearful and heart broken prayers. Hannah offered him into the hands of Eli, the priest just as she had submitted before the Lord. Samuel obeyed the instructions of Eli.
1 Samuel 2:11, ‘But the child [d]ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest.”
1 Sam.2:18, “But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod.”
1 Sam.2:21, “….Meanwhile the child Samuel grew before the LORD.”
1 Sam.2:26, “And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the LORD and men.’
1 Sam.3:1,”…… Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli.’
In all these verses, we read about Samuel ministering unto the Lord. He did all that Eli asked him to do. Even though he might not have understood the spiritual depth of what he did, he obeyed.

1 Sam.3:7, “ 7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)” Though young Samuel did many things for the Lord, he did not yet know Him personally. He never had an encounter with the Lord. He had not tasted the Lord personally. He had heard many things about the Lord. It is possible to do many things for the Lord without having a personal relation or encounter with the Lord. But it’s limited to the instructions of lives kept over us.

Soon the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel. He called him by His name. When Eli discerned this, he directed young Samuel to respond to the Lord’s call. God spoke to young Samuel, whose life got transformed. His desire for the Lord grew and he would grab every word of the Lord deep into his heart. 1 Sam. 3: 19-20, “So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words [d]fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been [e]established as a prophet of the LORD.” Samuel transformed from a young lad obeying the priest’s instructions to a prophet, who became the mouthpiece of God. The encounter with the Lord did this. The focus of Samuel shifted from Eli priest to the Lord. Each time we have an encounter with the Lord, we are more and more focused on the Lord.

Isaiah was a prophet. In this prophetical book, in chapter 6, we read about how this prophet, who was already serving the Lord, saw a vision of the Lord sitting on the throne. Soon, he saw himself as a person of unclean lips. He cried out to the Lord (Is.6:1-6). He was purified. He submitted to go where the Lord wanted him to go, and was then used as a much more powerful man of God. The depth of his prophetical utterance deepened. Each encounter with the Lord enables us to see the impurities within our own lives. The more we grow in purification, the more we are able to submit before the Lord & more mightily the Lord uses us.

Jacob saw a vision on the way to his uncle’s house (Gen.28). God promised him various blessings. The Lord’s hand was on him and after twenty years he returned to his own land. But before he met Esau, his brother, whom he feared greatly, he set apart himself from the rest of his family and knelt to pray till he was answered. He encountered a Man from heaven in prayers till the dawn. Gen.32:24-26,”24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the [g]breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He [h]touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks. But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” By touching the socket of his hip, He allowed pain and tested Jacob, who overcame the pain and prayed till he was answered. God changed his name to ‘Israel’. Jacob was no more gripped with fear. The presence of God strengthened him. He faced Esau boldly and in humbleness. Encounter with God might involve pain, but it makes one an overcomer.

Peter followed Christ and claimed that he would even die for Him. But soon, he found himself denying Christ thrice (Luke 22). God’s mercy enabled him to be reminded of words of Jesus. He repented and was restored. Each time we are convicted of our sins, repent and return to the Lord, we encounter the Lord in a new way, with a deeper transformation. This time, Peter’s return to the Lord was different from the one he had earlier.

Our walk with the Lord is experiencing Him. And the more we experience Him in our lives, the more transformed we are. Transformation is the ultimate purpose of Christian life. Its an ongoing and life long process. Every time we have a unique encounter with Him, its time for a deeper transformation. When the Lord looks at us from heaven, we need to reflect His image more and more. May God strengthen us all for same.

GOD bless us all.