February 22, 2023: Unexpected God Encounters

"And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" (Acts 9:4, ESV)

An encounter is a meeting that is most often unplanned or unexpected. Saul, a persecutor of Christians, is on his way to Damascus to arrest those who follow Jesus. He sees a bright light, falls to the ground, and hears Jesus speaking to him. That is an encounter with God, a meeting that was not on Saul's calendar, nor was he prepared for it.

The majority of 'God encounters' with people change their lives forever. It changed Saul's life, purpose, and calling in a single moment. When we pray, one of the things we should ask God for is encounters. “God encounter my children, my grandchildren, my pastor, my husband, my wife, etc.” Encounters make an impression on people that cannot soon be forgotten. 

Ananias also had an encounter with the Lord. It was an unexpected meeting for which he was not prepared. The Lord spoke to him in a vision and directed him to go to Saul and give him a message (from the Lord). The Lord also told him to lay hands on Saul, for he had a vision of someone laying hands on him and receiving his sight. 

This encounter resulted in Ananias obeying, Saul receiving his sight, and immediately Saul started preaching Jesus. Take a moment and think about all the people who encountered God in the Bible. God changed their lives! Let's believe God for encounters for ourselves and for others. One encounter and all of Asia was changed through Paul's changed life!