Galen and the Angel story
A man named Galen as a child in the summer was playing outside. His mother had made a pie. At that time, you put the pie on the windowsill to cool. Along the road walked a fella who looked bedraggled, maybe homeless? He said while passing, ‘That smells good.’ Galen’s mom offered him a slice.
He sat on the porch and ate a slice and talked for a while. He went to leave and as he was stepping off the porch, he completely disappeared.
For Galen, ever since that day, any time he had doubts about Jesus, he couldn’t forget that happening. People don’t just disappear. It was a moment in his life where God said, ‘I’m real and I care about you.’
This was a God Moment.
A God Moment is that personal encounter one may experience where God’s purpose, presence and love is revealed. God uses this to give direction and help to build our faith.
While the phase is more modern and not something in the King James Version, we do see countless examples in the Bible. Sometimes they are huge and miraculous like the parting of the Red Sea letting the Israelites know God’s power and provision. Or they could be smaller personal encounters like when Jesus called Nathaniel in John chapter 1 by telling him he saw him under a fig tree talking to Philip even though there was no one around who could have actually seen him.
Whether big or small, God did and still does use these encounters with the supernatural (anything that is greater than natural).
James 1:2-7 “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”
Why does God give us these ‘God Moments’?
We as humans like to have control, but really, everything is in God’s hands.
1) To Help us remember where our help comes from – Israel out of Egypt 1 Samuel 12:6; Micah 6:4; Hosea 12:13; Amos 2:10; Psalm 114:1
We can have direction and guidance in following God’s will. We struggle with the question, ‘What am I supposed to do?’ and ‘What is the will of God?’ Jesus will use these ‘God moments’ to show us that.
2) To Give us assurance for direction and in following His will – Luke 24:6–8; John 16:1–4 “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. 2 For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. 3 This is because they have never known the Father or me. 4 Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.”
We have these signposts that God has put in our way saying, ‘You’re going the right way. I am with You.’ Crazy things that happen in our lives are primarily there to build faith in God.
3) To Have Faith to face future challenges and difficulties – Lamentations 3:21–24; Psalm 42:4–11; 103:1–2; Hebrews 10:32–36 “Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. 33 Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. 34 You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. 35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”
Live in the Moment – Be Present
The beautiful moments of his life were drowned out by a cacophony of self-consciousness.
How to Live in the God Moment
– “the” God Moment not “a” God Moment – Damascus road experience – Paul in Acts 9 & 22
Don’t make shrines to events
Make sure that you don’t stop at any single God Moment. Continue to grow and see what else He wants to show you. Let Him show you more and more of Himself in your life.
– Ask/Pray – James 1:5 – if anyone lacks wisdom – not seeking signs (Matt 16:4)
It’s not about seeking signs. Let these moments be faith building points. Marry your faith-giving moments with walking and living by faith. Walk throughout your life with Jesus.
– Expect/Act – Roman 8:28 (all things work together for good) – the more you live in the God Moments the more you see that all moments are in fact God Moments. James 2:18 – faith by my works
David fought the lion and bear before he fought Goliath. David fought the giant and brought him down. However, this wasn’t the first enemy he fought. He had previously fought and defeated a lion and a bear. In David’s life, those moments were God Moments. Those five stones might have been reminders of his defeat of the lion and the bear. He knew that God was with him then and at that moment when he would meet that giant.
“A whole army of Israelite soldiers could not produce one brave warrior, but one shepherd boy who remembered a God Moment could easily take down the giant. Yesterday’s God Moments are stones in the sling of faith for tomorrow’s giants.”
We all have our giants, but we also have our rocks to remind us of past God Moments. We can use this to move forward and live on and face those challenges and struggles with Hope.
What are your God moments? Are you living in those moments? Take the next steps. You’re not meant to sit in a corner and be happy and comfortable. God Moments are for taking care of future giants.
Be convinced that you are blessed to know that God has His hand on your life. But, we need to live in the present, in the moment. Say, ‘God, thank You for what you’ve given me, but prepare to use what You’ve given me to do what you want me to do.’ It’s not easy. But there are giants and we have stones.
More Questions for Personal or Group Study:
- What really spoke to you in this message?
- What are some of your past God Moments? How have they built your faith?
- Read Romans 8:35-39. Can anything separate us from God’s love? Can you train yourself to look for more God Moments throughout your days? How does that change how you live?
- How can you encourage someone else with this message?
Excerpted from a sermon preached by Pastor Ben Nolan.
If you are looking for an Apostolic Pentecostal church and are in the Chicagoland area, come check out The Life Church of Northbrook.
We have services on Sundays at 11 am: The Life Church of Northbrook and Life Groups on Wednesdays at 7 pm.
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