Luke 2:15 NLT
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Beloved,
One encounter with God is all it takes to jumpstart a persons entire destiny. But in order to make the most of divine encounter, your response is critical. Last time, I plugged us into this truth as I began sharing with us the different approaches one man can take when it comes to experiencing divine encounter. We have looked at the Moses Approach . Let me share another one with us from the Gospel of Luke:
Luke 1:28-29, 34, 38 NLT
Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Here, we see Mary respond to angelic visit using the very approach we discussed in our last write up. Even though she was amazed and even afraid (and you would be too if you had such a mysterious encounter), she gave full attention to her experience and she sought clarification. But then she does something else that is essential to receiving the most out of divine encounter. The Bible says this:
Luke 1:38 NLT
Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
She stood in agreement with what had been said concerning her. There are accounts of others such as King Saul who received divine encounter that came by way of the man of God and we can link his final outcome to his original response (1 Samuel 9; 1 Samuel 15; 1 Samuel 31).
May your response to divine encounter not be inspired by the demon of doubt in Jesus’ mighty name.
The Gospel of Luke also reveals another element to right response when it comes to divine encounter. Let’s take a look:
Luke 2:15, 20 NLT
…When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
In fact, the whole second chapter of the Gospel of Luke shows elements of right responses in the approach taken by all those impacted by divine encounter. We will call this approach the “Mary Model”. To summarize the right responses to divine encounters that we see throughout this passage:
1. Profile your encounters (Luke 2:15-20)
2. When needed, disseminate the encounter in an articulated and relatable form. (Luke 2:17)
3. Keep it in your heart. Keep record of it and meditate on it. (Luke 2:19)
4. “Be it into me according to Your word.” Receive it by faith. Just as we shared before, you must stand in agreement. (Luke 1:38: Luke 2:20)
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.
I call you blessed. I call you NATIONS.
