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A Simple Prayer for a Holy Encounter With God

When was the last time you had a glimpse of God’s majesty and splendor? Have you had a moment where you just felt so overtaken by your awe of the Lord that you fell to your knees, experienced a sudden wave of emotion, or just felt powerfully aware of God’s character? Moments of reverent wonder are holy moments. Have you had one lately? 

John, Jesus’ disciple, had one of these when he was in exile on the island of Patmos. …in exile on account of his preaching and testifying about Jesus. As he was there, he had visions that he faithfully recorded, which we can read about in the book of Revelation. John writes about vivid and striking images of Jesus and the throne room in the heavens. Here’s the first thing John saw while on Patmos when he heard a voice like a loud trumpet:  

 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. -Revelation 1:12-16

Did you skim over that, or did you really read it, carefully thinking about each word? Can you picture Jesus with hair white as snow, eyes blazing like fire, feet glowing, a long robe and golden sash, and a voice like rushing waters? Are you imagining Him with a sword coming out of his mouth, holding seven stars in His hands, and with His face shining like the brilliant sun? WOW. What would you do if you saw someone who looked like that? John’s reaction was certainly understandable. 

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. -Revelation 1:17a

John was given a vision, a glimpse of the reigning Jesus, and he was so overcome with awe and emotion that he fell to the ground like he was dead. When I read this passage recently, my mind started spinning, and I set out searching through the pages of Scripture to find other times when people had encounters with God that were similarly profound. Who else fell to their feet in an encounter with the Almighty? Here are a few I found. I’ll link their passages so you can check them out in context:

As I read through these verses, I noticed several different patterns and similarities when comparing each story to the others. Maybe you can find some of the same things I did. But one thing that resonated with me was this: Glimpses of God’s glory and majesty aren’t earned in any way. In each instance listed above, the man seemed to be just going about his business when he encountered the Lord in such an overwhelming way. John was sitting in exile, Ezekiel was living with his peers by the Kebar River, and Peter, James and John were hanging out with Jesus during His earthly ministry. Saul certainly wasn’t doing anything so great as to deserve the bright light of God’s glory—he was on his way to persecute Christians! 

This leads me to conclude that, bottom line, God gives us glimpses of Himself when He wants to. Maybe He knows we need an encounter with Him to jumpstart or reinvigorate our faith. Maybe He sees that we need to feel His closeness in a season of heartbreak. Maybe He has some instructions to give you and needs your undivided attention. No matter the reason, when God gives you a glimpse of Himself, it’s time to sit up and take notice, or rather, to fall down in reverent worship. 

Another similarity I noticed in these stories is that after encountering God’s glory, the men responded in obedience to whatever God had told them. Abraham and all of the males in his family were circumcised as God commanded, Joshua followed the Lord’s battle plan and led the Israelites in defeating Jericho, and John wrote down what he saw on a scroll and sent it to the seven churches. When God shows you Himself, will you be ready to respond in faithful obedience? He might not be calling you to do something huge and dramatic. Perhaps He’ll just be calling you to draw nearer to Himself. Regardless, be listening carefully so you can respond boldly and wholeheartedly. 

While reading these passages, I stopped to think about what kind of glimpses of Jesus I’ve had. What kind of moments have I experienced where I felt overwhelming awe at the majesty and glory of Jesus? To be honest, I can’t think of a time when I felt so overcome with wonder and amazement that I fell to the ground like the men I’ve highlighted above. So I’m going to start praying:

God, give me a glimpse of you. 

Will you pray that prayer? I’m ready for a glimpse of our reigning, victorious Jesus that is so overwhelming I cannot help but stop what I’m doing, turn my eyes to Heaven, and maybe even collapse onto the ground. Let’s pray that God would increase our wonder, reverence, awe and holy fear of Him. Come, Lord Jesus!