Why did I just sit there?

I suppose I should have ran when it started.  I sat in a class with some 150 others, listening to the speaker pontificate upon his assigned topic.  He was assigned a hard time slot, from 1-2 pm, to keep his students interested... or at least awake.  Heavy eyed from the lunch we just finished, I tried to keep focused on the topic at hand.  When I heard the rumbling I immediately thought an air-conditioner had gone bad and was creating the racket.  The ceiling began to shake and I was sure of it... one of the units on the roof was self-destructing.  I began to realize that my assessment of the situation might be off when people started taking cover under the tables in the room... a few headed towards the door that led outside.  Heather and I bolted for the door.  I heard several say it was an earthquake as we congregated in the parking lot.  Not yet convinced, I fixed my gaze skyward looking for the faulty air-conditioning unit on the roof.  As my upward gaze fell slowly I spotted the units secure and seemingly still fully functional on the ground.  Almost as slow as my reaction, was my final conclusion; I had just experienced my first earthquake. It was a 5.8 on the richter scale lasting about 45 seconds and we were less than 40 miles from the epicenter.  Why did it take so long for me to realize what was happening?

Earthquakes were not a new concept to me.  I studied them in my schooling growing up.  I grasped the scientific concept of a shift of rock along a fault line resulting in earthquakes.  Within the past few months I had even read of a fault line on the east coast that they were aware could and would result in an earthquake eventually.  Not only was I knowledgable of quakes, I had even watched the reports of the  devastation they caused in Hati and Japan recently.  The problem was not a lack of knowledge or information, the problem was a lack of experience.  

As I began to process what I had experienced I could not get past my inaction in a dangerous and potentially deadly situation.  Why did I just sit there?  Again, my problem was not a lack of knowledge or information, but a lack of experience.  I think this can be a major problem in the Christian church today... and by “church” I mean you and me.  Hear me clearly, I’m not talking here to people who have never believed in Christ.  Who have never trusted in Him as their Lord and Savior.  I’m talking to those of us who have raised our hands and said a prayer.  To those of us who have made a decision and perhaps even walked an isle.  I’m talking to you, Mr. perfect attendance 3 years in a row.  There is a difference between knowing about Christ and experiencing Him. 

We can cram our craniums full of facts and information so we can talk a good game.  We can be there for every sermon and sign up for every discipleship class.  But will you allow me the freedom to pose a few questions I have been wrestling with the last few days?  When is the last time you have “experienced” God?  When you study Scripture is it to add ammo to your arsenal to win arguments, or is it so you can know God on a deeper and more personal level?  What difference does your daily devotional time make, not in your horizontal relationships with man, but in your relationship with Christ?  Do you love Him more deeply?  Do you praise Him more passionately?   Are your emotions stirred in anticipation when you reach for the Holy Word of God in the early hours of the morning?  

These are not pious questions I pose from an “I have arrived” attitude.  They are questions I have been wrestling with and that have made me change a few things in my “daily quiet time” routine.  1.  Prayer on my knees.  It is a simple change, but I like starting that time begging (yes, I said begging) God to speak to me.  I think being on my knees is appropriate.  2.  I’m careful to take time to praise Him and thank Him before I get off my knees. I owe Him everything, having a time to express my gratitude helps my heart be in a right place as I meet with Him.  3.  I have started reading a chapter in Psalms in addition to my other Scripture passage for the day.  Somehow reading the affections of the Psalmists helps me be more intimate with God.  

You could say I have been a little more than convicted at my lack of intimacy with the Father.  There is nothing wrong with knowledge.  It is a good thing to know Him well.  The problem arises when there is a disconnect between knowledge and experience.   

Psalm 34:8 says; “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” How long has it been since you have “experienced” God?  He’s waiting... even now.