It fascinates me to hear all these reports of muslims and others having face to face enounters with the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that the Lord can do this for anyone He wants to, and sometimes chooses to do this for people who have no prior knowledge of Him. But I’m hoping to see the Lord myself before I die. My wife Marilena saw Him with her eyes open, and I’m reading a book by a man who claims to have had many such encounters.
Apart from the sovereign action of the Lord, I think there is a promise in John 14:21. And this promise gives me hope.
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21)
This word “manifest” in the Greek is emphanizo which means “To appear or show one’s self in person”. It also means:
- o manifest, exhibit to view
- to show one’s self, come to view, appear, be manifest
- to indicate, disclose, declare, make known
Source is http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/emphanizo.html
There is another promise I am taking hope from.
“And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:6)
God knows that my love for Him has not always been as pure or consistent as He deserves. So I am trusting Him to circumcise my heart, to take away this hardness of heart that makes it hard to be sensitive to the moving of the Spirit sometimes. It also causes me to lack love towards others at times, or to struggle with the promises of God. Well I am throwing myself into the hands of God, with the hope that He will circumcise my heart.
It isn’t like I don’t feel His presence often. I do. Sometimes powerfully. I thank God for that. And I see Him answer prayers and do miracles. But my perspective is quite limited compared to what it could be.
So pray for me. I want to see Jesus. And pray that you will also see Him. We need more people like this in the world today.