Have You Seen Jesus?

In my quiet times, one of the things I read is Oswald Chamber's My Utmost for His Highest. Today's reading was talking about seeing Jesus. Have YOU seen Him? Not in a vision, not in an appearance, but in the depts of your heart and in the focus of your mind.

I have. Sadly, the times have been few, but I have. Each time has been a time I've been on my face earnestly seeking Him. There are two times I remember the most. The first was while I was in college. I was going through a very discouraging and depressing time, and I was sharing some of my thoughts with my best friend. She took me through a very powerful exercise where she led my imagination to a place where I felt safe and comfortable - a favorite place. She told me to imagine Jesus entering the place, sitting beside me, and whispering into my ear. She had no idea what to expect as we did this, but I began sobbing. I felt His presence more powerfully than I could ever put into words. He whispered one short statement, "I love you!" No answers to my problems, no insights into the future - just a reminder that He loved me personally, intimately, and perfectly. Because of that, there was no need for the other words. He held me and I wept. When I opened my eyes, I felt so clean, pure, and loved!

The second profound time was more recently during a time of fasting and prayer. I really and truly wanted to hear from my Lord - there were so many things we were praying about. On my face, I imagined myself sitting on a hillside in Jordan - a place I'd gone many times growing up to be quiet with the Lord. I was sitting on a long stone overlooking a valley that passed into another hill. Such a beautiful place! Jesus came and sat beside me and we conversed! As I prayed, He answered! Not always the way I wanted, but the answers were so clearly from Him - there was no way it was a conversation with myself. And, the answers weren't always solutions. Sometimes they were convictions, sometimes directions, sometimes a word to wait. Other times there was silence as He waited for me to evaluate how I was praying! It was incredibly beautiful.

There have been quiet times of intimacy, and a few other times of seeing Jesus. The truth is, once you have been there, hearing His voice isn't ever the same again. I tell these stories not to brag or to say I'm above anyone else. I share this to encourage...seek Jesus. Truly! He might not give you the same types of mental images He gives me. That's how I function - I need word pictures and mental images. I am a very visual learner - if I see it, I grasp it. If I just hear it, I am slower to learn. You might learn a different way. But seek Him as He will best be revealed to you. Seek Him deeply. Seek to "see" Him as He wants to be revealed to you.