Spiritual Experience or Divine Encounter?
Just as some people like to amass cars, clothes, and big houses, other people like to amass spiritual experiences.
Just as some people like to amass cars, clothes, and big houses, other people like to amass spiritual experiences. But that’s not what a relationship with God is all about.
I recall a story someone once told me about the Jewish Philosopher Martin Buber that illustrates the difference between a spiritual experience and a divine encounter. Buber was very involved with spirituality, mysticism, and meditation. One day, he was meditating in his room, and he entered into an incredible state of mystical ecstasy. Suddenly he heard a knock at the door. He was so high, he wasn’t sure he had heard it right, so he waited a few moments. Again, he heard the knock at the door. Buber had to tear himself away from his ecstatic experience in order to answer the door. He opened the door and saw a fellow he didn’t even know, a stranger. Buber stood there looking at this stranger who obviously wanted something.
Now, perhaps you’ve had the experience of dropping in on someone, and when he or she opens the door, you realize, “Oh my gosh, I came at the wrong time.” You feel awkward. Just so, this fellow realized he was interrupting Buber, and he really felt awkward. “I’m sorry, Mr. Buber, I must be disturbing you. Let me come back another time.”
Buber, being a gentleman, said, “No, please, come in, it’s fine.”
So Buber let him in, and had him sit down in his salon, and tried very hard to listen and focus on what his visitor had to say, but most of his mind was still absorbed in the high he had just experienced. The visitor stuttered and stammered and obviously did not feel comfortable to share with Martin Buber what was on his mind or in his heart. Finally, the fellow apologized, excused himself, and left. And Buber returned to his room and tried to get back into his ecstatic state of consciousness.
Later, Buber heard that this fellow killed himself. Buber was absolutely devastated. He realized that the man had come to him because he desperately needed help, and Buber wasn’t there for him because he was so absorbed in his spiritual experience. That’s when Buber realized how fake a mystical high can be. If it doesn’t open one up to hearing the call to duty, if it doesn’t increase one’s ability to respond, it is having an experience, but it is not encountering God in a relationship.
Many people want to have a so-called “God Experience.” But this is really just spiritual materialism. Just as some people like to amass cars, clothes and big houses, other people like to amass spiritual experiences. But that’s not what a relationship with God is all about.
A true encounter with God means seeing, hearing and responding to God in your life. In Hebrew this is called teshuva, a word often mistranslated as “repentance,” but really meaning “answer.” To do teshuva is to answer God’s call.
In that light, we can understand the oft-used Biblical expression, “stiff-necked people.” What’s a stiff-necked person? Someone who ,when he is called, does not turn to listen. He just keeps going. Teshuva means turning to say, “Yes, I’m here. What can I do for you?”
In the stories of the Torah, God initiates a dialogue with Abraham by calling, “Abraham, Abraham,” and then waiting for Abraham to respond, “Hineni. Here I am.”
That’s teshuva, turning to hear the call and to respond to it.
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