a love encounter

In honor of Valentine’s Day coming up…

What does a love encounter from God look like?

  I find this question just really sweet. Often people think a love encounter from God is almost unreachable. Something that has to be big and extravagant. At a church retreat, on a short term mission trip, or that it has to happen with in the church walls. That the Holy Spirit has to completely take over your body. Don’t get me wrong, those times are great too… but, I think the most beautiful love encounters from the Lord actually happen within our secret space with Abba.

  My sweet little secret space. The hiding place. Where its just my Father and I. Where I am alone with the Creator. When I give Him room to speak. Where we sit in fellowship. Each season of my life I find a new hiding place. At home its my car, specifically when it’s parked at the beach. When I lived in Georgia it was at the laundry station on the hill. I’d find myself there very morning before breakfast with the morning dew covering the table I’d read my bible on. I’d sit with the Lord and tell Him how beautiful His creation was. Here in Costa it’s on those little steps in our back yard. The place where I look out at the mountains as I write in my journal and lean on the Lord.  I promise you if you want to know what a love encounter from God looks like, find a secret place where it is just you and him. Find a consistent place where you can just rest in Him. 

  A love encounter from God looks like a friendship. When you become really close with someone, you stop having to invite them. Eventually your lives just intertwine. Some times I’ll walk into my best friends house with no warning. Spending time with my best friend means sitting in a coffee shop, in each others presence and getting work done. When you love someone, you don’t mind doing the mundane with them. Thats what our friendship with the Lord should look like. We should always allow Him the space to barge in at any moment. We should invite Him into the mundane. We should ask Him to come sit with us while we work at the coffee shop. We should invite him to run the errands with us, to watch movies with us, to grab dinner with us. 

  A love encounter from God is most often found in simplicity. I feel His love most when I just sit back and lean on Him. When I sit and rest with Him. So many times we see people in the Bible have love encounters from simply having faith in Jesus. In Matthew 9 we see a ruler coming to Jesus and asking Him to simply lay a hand on his daughter to heal her. While Jesus was on His way to heal the daughter, a woman comes. This woman had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years, and she simply touches His garments as He is walking, and she knows that she is healed. From just a touch of a garment, from just a hand laid. When we simply reach out our hand, we can find that love encounter. We see in Luke 10 the story of Mary and Martha. Mary just simply sat at the Lords feet and listened to Him. How beautiful. Thats a love encounter. 

  Dear Heavenly Father, I welcome you into the mundane of my life. I pray for even more love encounters. I pray that I see you in the simplicity. I pray over that hiding place with you. I pray that I can always see your goodness in that place. I thank you for showing up. Thank you for worship. Thank you for love encounters. Thank you for seeking me. May I always stand with my hand reached out for you Father. I love you a lot!!

xx – Sydney