ArticleBlog | Encountering Jesus: in the stillness
Encountering Jesus: in the stillness
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 27.12.23
‘Honestly Hannah, it’s really changed my life!’ My friend leaned in conspiratorially closer on her chair as she drained her drink. She was recounting her new-found practice of waking up an hour earlier in the morning and starting her day with meditation. She is not a Christian but has been investing in her mental health and thought this might be a healthy habit to form.
‘ The weird thing though is this...’ She shifts a little uncomfortably now, twirling one of her bright red dreadlocks around her finger. ‘Every day now as I sit and try to meditate... I find myself talking with someone... I think it might be... God! Is that even possible?!’ It took me a long minute to digest her very genuine question. Is it possible? Could it be that my sworn atheist friend had accidentally found herself in casual conversation on a daily basis with the Creator of the Universe; a being she had long ago decided didn’t exist? Could it be that what she was doing was prayer?
Of course, not everyone who sets out to simply meditate will find themselves doing anything remotely close to praying, or even thinking about God. But is it sometimes possible that the God who is always present, and always pursuing lost sheep, might utilise this moment of quiet to initiate a conversation?
If I’m honest, it surprised me to learn that God was quietly hijacking my friend’s mornings. But when you look at the life of Jesus, and the many encounters he had with unsuspecting people, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise at all.
