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How do you react to Dr. Worgul’s concluding remarks about God-encounters in the context of the passing of years? Does this help your understanding of them, or does it make the whole issue more confusing?
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8 Replies
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As I understand it, Dr Worgul’s comment was that most of his divine encounters occurred when he was young, because that’s when the young soul can be stirred up, empowered and set off on life’s journey. He also felt that God stopped giving him encounters so as to prevent him from getting proud.
I beg to differ. I notice too that most of my “encounters” occurred more than 10 years ago, but I suspect it is because I am not doing as intensive work as before. As Dr Worgul says, encounters are not given for self-satisfaction, but to motivate us to a purpose beyond ourselves. I suspect that, the more intensive our work (or warfare) is, the more encounters we may meet to steer us onward. I suspect that a door may open at the end of this year for a more intensive work, and I’m looking forward to it.
This brings me to the thought of aged Christians. Do they have and need less encounters than the young soul because they are already far up along life’s journey? I serve a lot among aged Christians and find that generally they become lacklustre. In that case, they are far down, not far up, life’s journey (remember the “ascent” metaphor of life?). I think they need more, not less, encounters to wake them up! I think that Christians have less God-encounters as they age, not because they have become so wise and mature as not to need encounters, but simply because they are too lacklustre to encounter God.
As for getting proud about one’s encounters, it is an evil in the heart which one has to repent of himself. It should not determine God’s original design about whether God wants to encounter this person. Paul indeed had a danger of becoming proud over his amazing encounter of seeing paradise, but God did not therefore encounter him less. God only gave him a thorn in the flesh to prevent him from becoming proud. (2 Corinthians 9:1-7) We must not read into Scripture a meaning that isn’t there.
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This neither helps, or hinders my understanding to be honest. I wouldn’t be as prescriptive as Dr Worgul. Surely God is Sovereign, and elsewhere it was suggested that God deals with each individual in a way which is appropriate to them. Whilst I have no real issue with anything which was written, I wonder if Scripture supports this view – was not Abraham in his 90’s when God met Him? Was not John an old man when He received the vision which we know as Revelation? Does not Acts suggest that Old men (and women!) will dream dreams, and young men see visions? Can the Christian not live with an expectation of “encounter with God” throughout life, without entering a spiritual crisis should one not come? I long for encounter with God, but perhaps we need to define what we mean by encounter – maybe the nature of encounter changes as we learn to trust God more deeply. A fresh revelation from Scripture, the unexpected. sighting of a rare bird, a deeply rewarding spiritual conversation with ones friend, or spouse are for me every bit as exciting as anything I have ever experienced in my christian life …… maybe I am just too easily pleased these days, though I think not.
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Very well answered, with examples from Scripture. I agree with your perspective, and think Dr Worgul might have over-generalized too much about whether old people can/will experience encounters.
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I think Dr. Worgul and I may see things differently. I am comfortable with the notion of agreeing to disagree, even if I may wrong.
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Looking back at my life I can see God’s intervention in every aspect, from childhood to teenage years, to early adulthood, and now in midlife. My encounters were not dramatic but in retrospect, I now understand how He has worked in my life. Now I consciously look for the ways He is currently working and thank Him for His goodness.
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Recognizing that these encounters can take a veriety of forms, all based on God’s judgement of what is best has mad me be more serious and open minded about recognizing the experience that God has given me. I can look back to the past to see how how God has worked all things together for good.
