I had a powerful experience in a church service this past week that I cannot stop thinking about. It just made so many things fall into place in my heart, and put everything into perspective. This was one night when I definitely heard from God. But it isn’t the typical grand ‘word from the Lord’ you typically hear about. I didn’t hear the Holy Spirit speak a whole paragraph. I didn’t even hear a complete sentence. In fact, I only heard one word.
My name.
I was in the weekly young adults worship service at my church. The format of the service is mainly worship. I reached a point where I was just listening to what the Holy Spirit had to say. I felt that still, small familiar voice start to speak to me. I would readily admit that I’m not the greatest at hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, but I do from time to time.
Whenever God begins to speak to me, He typically will start by just calling out my name. Not in a nagging or condescending way, but gently. He is drawing me to Himself. “Daniel. . Daniel. .” I’ve always been stricken with awe at the way God does this when He speaks to me. There are quite a few people who know me by my middle name, which is Emmett. But God doesn’t call me by that name. He calls me by my first name. This time was no different. I heard the still small voice calling me.
“Daniel. . Daniel. .”
At this point, when I have quieted myself (more or less) and am ready (more or less) to hear what God has to say to me, He begins to say what He wants to. This time was different. He didn’t stop calling my name. Over and over, I kept hearing my name. To the point where I began to be a bit puzzled. It was then that I began to see a visual of what I was hearing.
Now, I’ve never had what many classify an ‘open vision.’ I have not really ever had any kind of vision. This was no exception. I more just. . saw it on the inside. It’s hard to explain. But I know that I saw it and that the Holy Spirit was showing it to me. The vision I saw was all too familiar, yet it was like I was seeing it for the first time.
I saw Jesus. Dying on the cross.
I know that this was more of a metaphorical representation, because there were no people around Him. I didn’t even see the thieves that were crucified either side of Him. I just saw Jesus; hanging on the cross. He was wounded from head to toe, bleeding out from every part of His body. His body was seized up with tension from the raw agony He was in. He had to pull up on the nails in His hands to draw oxygen. He could barely open His mouth. But He was saying something..
He was calling my name.
“Daniel. . Daniel. . “
I realized it all in that moment. This is God. Bleeding and dying for me, right here. All the pain, all the suffering. He was deserted by everyone He ever loved during His time on earth. He was doing it all for me.
His words seemed like a whisper at first. I could see the agony on His bloodied and bruised face as he struggled to get the syllables out. But then the words grew louder. And louder. Until Jesus was screaming my name.
“Daniel . . Daniel . .”
I fell to my knees and began to weep. The warmth of His love came crashing and cascading over me. My fears, my burdens, my sins, they all became utterly eclipsed in this moment. I had an encounter with God’s love in that moment. And all God did was speak my name.
I wish that every human being could see what I saw in that moment. To really experience that. I realize that the manifestation of the gospel is going to be different to different people, but this is the core of the message;
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