God Encounters

​All week long they happened. I have seen His amazing presence at work before but never this often up close and personal. When the creator of the universe takes the time to encounter us - we just stand in awe of His work!
The events are too numerous to mention, but my focus will be on yesterday, when in honor of the departure of our dear sister Sheila Robinson, may she rest in peace, the celebration of her life was held at what I might call an old school Church of Christ where they sang out of those old hymnals still, with the songs that I first heard when coming to sobriety and coming to Christ.
Not the new school lights, drama, hype and music, but just old fashioned form of worship through singing and prayers. It took me back to where I came from and it was definitely God speaking to my heart to remember my first love, those moments when I fell in love with Him rather than a bottle. Page 807, 522, those days when I hardly knew what He was all about, but I kept singing those words that I did not understand but sang anyway because I was so happy to be sober and saved.
Then, one by one they spoke of how you could hardly talk to Sheila about anything before she began speaking about Jesus, the one who led her out of prostitution and substance abuse. And God spoke to my heart about how sometimes I shrugged her off, more concerned with the events of the moment than I was with hearing that same story over and over again. I respected her, I just wasn't as attentive as I used to be.
Surely you see the point of my terrible example. We can get so caught up in our ideas, plans and concept of how we think God is working today and forget to listen to him, especially when he is saying remember how it was when I saved you before you take another step, that we had such a simple, beautiful relationship before my life got complicated.
This week I was more attentive, I listened for his voice more often rather than interpreting what I thought he would have me do, and you know what happened? Virtually everything worked out just like he said it would. 
More listening, less doing, a lot more like Sheila, and less like Glenn. As we sang "When We All Get To Heaven" the joy was roaring in my soul with the power of His Spirit - listen Glenn, listen, and you will encounter the God who knows you, saved you and loves you more than any other. Just listen and feel His presence as you first encountered Him!
And we sang on, "what a day of rejoicing that will be". It's actually happening right now