Nougat 2

Hello my dear

Have you ever considered what your reaction would be if you were to encounter the supernatural? In my home country, seeing ghosts was a common occurrence, but not so much visits from God. Yesterday I finally got to watch a Christmas production I’d been anticipating for a while. In one scene, the star had a vision of angels. Her response had me in stitches. But I also had a moment’s thought of today’s Holy Nougat

“Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,” Luke‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭NLT

Despite their reactions, those shepherds had an encounter that many of us long for – seeing God or God’s messenger on this side of eternity. Many of us anticipate that we will see angels in Heaven, but not many expect to see them or have a face to face with Jesus now.

I wonder how we’d react tho if we were to have a live up close and personal meeting with Jesus here on earth. Would we even recognize Him. Despite John’s description in Revelation 1, I think many of us would expect a blond, blue eyed man with a crown of thorns around his heart, with a gentle voice. And, having recognized Him (or confirmed His identity somehow) as Our Messiah, what, I wonder, would we do next – would we fall on our knees in worship as in Philippians 2?

Probably some of us would start talking; that’s what we do when we pray, right. But would we stop to think that Jesus wants to speak with us? And would we listen without interrupting? (Oy, that’s my challenge right there). For angels or not, direct face to face or not; I honestly think Jesus desires to speak to and with us – if we care to listen. Through the Word, written and preserved over centuries (and remember, Jesus IS the Living Word as per John 1:1); but also in direct conversations like when we pray.

Lord, like the songwriter says, my desire is to commune as friend with Friend when we speak. Teach me to listen for You and to anticipate those moments of sharing on This side of eternity. Speak to me about me and for the sake of understanding the times and Your desire for me in these times. As we begin these first few days of 2021, please remove any obstacles that would prevent us from having those fulsome chats. Forgive my sins and open my mind to see You when I come to You in prayer. Hear my heart please Jesus, amen.

In Christ’s love and grace . . .