In Christianity, it's often expressed that it's tremendously difficult to connect with the spiritual realms of God. The supernatural if you will is something that only the spiritually elite attain and everyone else just suffers with a lesser version or maybe they settle that it just doesn't work for them. It's thought you must already be a "spiritual person" to connect with God in this way or that maybe those who walk in these paths must have earned this through some level of sacrifice and thus have greater access to God. While some of these thoughts are apart of the journey with God, they aren't the key to encountering Him in your personal life. We all have access to the secret place of God, His presence and His power.
Have you ever heard fishermen who've had some success, talk about how to get the "fish on the hook?" While this might sound like the logical point of fishing to non fishermen, it's a distinct challenge to actually get the "fish on the hook". It takes some experience to get something on the hook with more significance than a blue gill, if you know what I mean. This expression now also has a more common meaning, often referring to accomplishing a goal and getting it to last or sales teams acknowledging that they sealed a deal. It's a great statement to make because it states the fact that something that was difficult to obtain was obtained and it's going to have a great outcome. So how do we get the- encountering the presence and supernatural power of God "fish on the hook"?
I did a teaching series on crafted prayer recently. One of the main aspects of effective prayer is getting to a place of no distractions. It's popular in christian circles to talk about a "prayer closet". This simply refers to Jesus telling the people of His day to pray in their room with the door shut and that they could find God in this secret place (religious leaders were known for praying loudly on market corners). While teaching I brought out the fact that we actually have to make the decision to "come into the presence" of God. It's a place that we enter consciously. I believe that we can stay in the place all the time, but distractions limit us for sure. Anyways, the greatest component of coming into the presence of God is referenced in the Psalms over and over. It's Thanksgiving. Come into His presence with Thanksgiving or more relevantly: with gratitude.
While being grateful about life doesn't sound like a profound answer to encountering God, I've found that most things about God have been overcomplicated. This simple answer isn't the one punch ticket, but it's the launch pad for all things that lead to encountering God. Think of it as good bait on your hook. It's the right lure. When we begin to give thanks about all that is in our life, it softens our inner walls of skepticism and inhibition and allows our heart to be open to whatever and however God wants to encounter us. It destroys that spirit of entitlement that permeates our current society and culture. I've found being mindful of the this and intentionally looking to receive during moments of gratitude has lifted my expectation and thus my experiences with God are becoming even more dynamic.
So, tomorrow is a big day with lots of food, family and friends. What about tomorrow could be a beginning to encountering God like you never have? Be gracious with expectation. Who knows, in your spirit of gratitude, maybe you'll have the best day with family you've had in years. Maybe dinner goes a little better than planned rather than the complete nightmare that history holds in it's hand. Maybe you have a breakthrough to encountering everyday life at a level that you just haven't been able to connect with. Come into His presence with Thanksgiving. It can just be about the turkey and the Lions losing to the Patriots or a great new beginning. Let's get the fish on the hook.
Thank you God for the best thanksgiving we've ever had.
