ENCOUNTERS with God are Normal… and Sometimes Obvious
PLC Core Value #3 | Pastor Sean Kelly
When people hear the phrase “God spoke to me,” their minds usually jump straight to Moses and the burning bush. Cue the dramatic music. The sandals-off moment. Charlton Heston squinting into the fire while the voice of God booms from the heavens.
(Wait, what? You’ve never seen The Ten Commandments by Cecil B. DeMille? Well, now you must do two things: First, you must REPENT…and then you must RENT).
But let’s be honest. Most of us haven’t had a bush spontaneously combust in our backyard followed by a direct audible word from God (who sounds a lot like Charlton Heston), and if we did, we’d probably call the fire department first and ask theological questions later.
The truth is, real-life encounters with God often feel more normal than mystical. The miracle might be in the moment, but it probably won’t come with CGI or surround sound.
God shows up while you’re making coffee and thinking about your kid who’s struggling.
God moves while you’re driving home and suddenly feel like you should pray for your neighbor.
God speaks when a lyric from a song wrecks you in the best way possible.
Then there are those times when God is just obvious. He’s not subtle or sneaky…not hard to interpret. Just…obvious.
Like when the sermon feels like it was written just for you.
Or a friend texts at the exact moment you were about to lose it.
When the Spirit moves you in such a powerful way you are released in praise, prayer, and left with a tangible sense of His presence.
Or you walk into church heavy with guilt, and by the end of the service, it feels like someone took a weight off your chest.
It’s not just coincidence; that’s just God being God. Sometimes He’s quiet, sometimes bold, and sometimes writes it across the sky in an airplane.
At PLC, we believe that kind of thing is normal. We don’t just talk about God, we expect Him. We look for Him. We invite Him into our conversations, our worship, our quiet moments, and our messes.
“Come, Holy Spirit” is the easiest prayer to pray. Three words that invite and raise expectations.
Because when you live like God is near, you start noticing how often He’s knocking at your door. And when you open the door, He walks right on in. (For a beautiful verse about this, check out Revelation 3:20)
We are not waiting for revival to fall from the sky. We are learning to recognize it in real time…
In our homes…
In our small groups…
In our community…
In our struggles…
In our joy.
You don’t need to hike up a mountain or fast for forty days to have a real encounter with the Living God.
You just need to pay attention.
Because He’s not hiding. He’s here.
And sometimes…He’s so obvious it’s almost funny we missed Him the first time.
Oh wait, one more thing: I highly recommend you hike up that mountain (a metaphor for the spiritual retreats) as a regular practice…because obvious encounters with God are so much fun and He longs to be with us!
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