God Encounters

Canvas Church : San Diego

Mothers Day

God Encounters 

Abraham who has had 7 God encounters, where the Lord appeared to him. Sarah (Abraham's wife) approaching 90 years old & never held her very own child. Waiting for a promise that God made to Abraham. 25 years later & still no baby. Sarah was probably feeling lonely, disappointed, ashamed, & forgotten. How could a woman as old as me have a child?  

"And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate. They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.” (Genesis 18:1-15 ESV)

"The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” (Genesis 21:1-7 ESV)

A God Encounter : us seeing God in a way that we have never seen before.

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" (Psalm 34:8 ESV)

God presents himself to us on a daily basis &  he's waiting for us to encounter him. Taste & see! 

1) God encounters require faith but not always YOUR faith! Sarah laughed, she clearly had no faith for it but b/c Abraham did, she had a child. (Mark 2:2-12) "hijacked by God just when you say 'i'm over it'."

2) Reinforce the fact that nothing is too difficult for God. "Is anything to hard for the Lord"..

3) God encounters remind us that his promises do not have an expiration date. We try to take matters into our own hands like Abraham & Hagar. We try to rush things along & create it under our own strength. We can manipulate our ways into a lot of things but sooner or later it ends. Or we forget about the promise & assume that it's not for us. The dreams God gives are huge & sometimes seem outside of us. Is this really for me? "Will this really ever happen?” Remember, He who promised is faithful! Be confident that God can make a way when there seems to be no way. 

What promises have you been sitting on?