Encounter With The Spectacular

Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar.  He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side.

 When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reachingthe knees. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the loins. Ezekiel 47:1-4 NASB

This was an incredible experience for Ezekiel, God touched him in a spectacular way. I am in such a place now; I long for God to touch me in the spectacular realm. I know, I am supposed to be deep and humble and tell you how thankful I am to see God in the mundane, that I don’t need a spectacular experience to believe God. I don’t need one to believe Him, I need one to know Him more. I am grateful for the mundane, but anticipate the spectacular. 

The spectacular does not mean God’s power. Moses witnessed God’s power, provision, and miracles in the wilderness, yet,  He still prayed and asked God to show him His glory. He wanted to know God on a deeper level; not His hand, but His face.  

Elijah, while hiding in a cave in fear of his life, had just witnessed God’s power on Mt. Carmel, but he came to know God in a deeper way in the cave. He saw God in the earthquake, fire, whirlwind, and the still small voice. When you study the original Hebrew in 1 Kings 19:11-14, Elijah did not hear God’s voice, but actually heard God’s thoughts. A spectacular experience indeed. In case you don’t believe that is possible let’s read:

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.  But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.  For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 NASB.

God continues to reveal Himself to His people that seek Him.

Not all of us will encounter God in the spectacular way that Ezekiel did, however, He does want to reveal Himself to us deeper as we grow in Him. He revealed Himself to Moses at different times in deeper ways during each step of his journey to the promise land. 

We need to discipline ourselves to recognize God in the mundane, but He does not expect us to stay in the mundane, mediocrity of life. If He did, He would not have established the Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle; He would have built the outer and inner courts only. The deeper you journey into the Tabernacle, the deeper you experience Jesus and commune with Him. (I will talk in depth about the Tabernacle soon). If God did not want us to experience the spectacular, Peter and John would not have witnessed Christ’s transfiguration. 

God brought Ezekiel through the waters at different levels, first his ankles, then knees, and up to his loins. Continue on into the next verses and the water exceeds his head. God wants to take us deeper and deeper in Him; not so that we can have an experience, but that we can experience Him. He wants to know us face to face just as He did Moses.  These men that experienced God in the spectacular, did not have an experience, they had an encounter. My spirit cries out for an encounter.