Experiencing God

Q: Hello, Before I set out my question, I'd like you to know that I'm not a Christian, nor a member of any other faith. I have however, always believed in a 'higher-being'. There are some things which I've experienced, and are happening now, which do make me believe that there may be something trying to connect with me. Though this sounds rather silly, it is a recurring theme. I work at a shop, and on a number of occasions, I've thought about about a particular person (who is not a regular customer), and whoever I've thought about comes into the shop during that shift, or the next day. I also regularly seem to get approached by religious people when I walk down the street. One even telling me that 'I matched a description' that God told him to speak to. There was also one night about 18 months ago, when I felt some kind of extraordinary experience, almost as if I was 'out of my body'. Moreover, there was one occasion a few years back, when I had a dream of meeting God. I know this is a lot of information, but if it's possible, I'd like your thoughts on what I have and am experiencing, and what this might mean/signify. Thank you.

A: Thank you for your question. I appreciate your honesty in admitting up front that you have not placed faith in Jesus Christ. Before I try to answer your question, I want you to know that I believe in God. I believe that He came to this earth as Jesus Christ to die for the sins of mankind and that He rose from the dead to offer the life of God as a free gift to all who would receive it. I also believe that Bible is the word of God. Therefore, anything I say will originate from this point of view. You say you have always believed in a "higher-being." I believe it to be almost impossible to not believe in a "higher-being." The God of the Bible, whom I believe to be the one, true God, speaks to those things that make you believe as you do. In chapter 1 of the book of Romans it says, "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:20)." The creation itself; the earth and all its inhabitants and the heavens above give evidence to a Creator. From God's vantage point, He believes that He has given enough evidence of His existence in the creation alone, that anybody saying He does not exist will not be able to use the creation as an excuse to deny Him.

It is not clear if God is behind the experiences you describe. But, what is clear is that God can use those experiences to draw you to Himself. The fact that you are on a Christian website seeking answers is evidence of that truth.You are correct when you say that there may be "something trying to connect" with you. God made you, all of us, in such a way that we cannot function properly apart from God indwelling us. Before I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior, I would have described that feeling you're experiencing as an emptiness inside of me. Either way, the emptiness I felt and that "something trying to connect" with you is what the Bible describes as spiritual death. The best way to describe what I am trying to convey to you is to go back to the creation of man in the Garden of Eden. The Bible records that when God created Adam, "the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2:7)."The life of God was breathed into Adam and he became a living being. The Bible later records Adam being warned by God not to eat the forbidden fruit or he would "surely die (Genesis 2:17)." Adam didn't believe God, ate the fruit, and died. The death he suffered was not a physical death, but a spiritual death; God removed His life from Adam.

You, me and everybody are born into this world in the condition the Bible describes as being "in Adam." That means that we are born physically alive to the world, but spiritually dead to God in sin. Therefore, I believe all of us spend our lives trying to compensate for that emptiness, that lack of "connection," with God through various pursuits; achieving fame, fortune, accomplishments, etc. None of it fills that void, so we keep trying in vain to fill it with whatever the world offers apart from a relationship with God. The only thing that will "connect" us to God is to be, as the Bible describes, "made alive" in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ is the only person, since He was God manifested in the flesh, that can offer you the life of God. It isn't found in religion. It isn't found in self-discovery. It isn't found through the teachings of spiritual philosophers. It isn't found through the acquisition of knowledge. It is found only by recognizing that you are spiritually dead to God and need His life through faith in Jesus Christ. If God is indeed playing a role in all these experiences, it is because He loves you and wants to have a relationship with Him. Right now, you are dead to God and He wants to make you alive to Him the way He originally intended it to be. That is why the Bible says, "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22)."

A few years ago, according to your question, you "had a dream of meeting God." Well, let me tell you that your dream can become a reality. God wants to know you. I encourage you to ask God to help you in your search for Him. Ask Him if He is behind all the events you describe happening to you. God wants you to know that He loves you, that He has forgiven your sins for eternity when He, in Christ Jesus, died for you on the cross and that He wants to give you His life as free gift through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I don't know where your heart is right now, but it seems like you want to know God. If that is the case, I invite you to follow along with me in saying the following prayer. Keep in mind that the prayer itself does not save you, but it is a representation of your heartfelt desire to know God. Salvation is crossing over from death to life.

Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins. Thank You for offering me Your life. I now ask You to come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take control of my life and make me into the new creation You want me to be. I now thank You for coming into my heart and giving me eternal life.

If you prayed this prayer, the living Christ has come to dwell within you forever and you have begun the great adventure for which you were created as a child of God. I would encourage you to use the resources on this website to assist you in growing in the knowledge of God, the grace of Jesus Christ and to discover who you now are as a believer in Jesus Christ. If you did not pray this prayer, that is okay, too. I would encourage you to continue to ask questions and trust God to reveal to you the evidence that He has placed in this world that will convince you of His existence and who He is. I pray that I have assisted you in finding answers about God and that you have chosen or will soon choose to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Grace and Peace.