18. Sometimes Jesus gives me a single impression that is more than a thousand words could communicate.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
If a picture is worth a thousand words, can you imagine Jesus giving you a simple picture of how He feels about you?
A hug is another example of communicating information without words. Can you imagine Jesus giving you a hug, a spiritual hug?
Are there times in your past that you deeply knew something without having specific words; for example, how you felt about someone, experienced something profound, or suddenly understood something you hadn’t before? Reflect on how this kind of experience could also be true in your relationship with God.
Invite Jesus to communicate to you through an impression or word picture.
God speaks to us in a variety of ways, some that include words or feelings. As we begin to grow in our ability to know when God is speaking to us, He may use ways that relay information without using words.
In a fraction of a second, we become aware of something, maybe a reality about God, ourselves, our world, or our situation that would take books to explain. And yet we “know” it in a deep way that carries truth about something real. We call this experience an “impression” or a “knowing.”
Sometimes this “knowing” becomes an extended conversation, lasting days, weeks, even months. An example of this in my own life happened during a time when I was being taught to doubt that Jesus truly was all that the New Testament presents Him to be. I had been exposed to these troubling ideas before and had researched and confirmed Scripture’s accuracy in its teachings about Jesus. So, rather than revisit the historical evidence, I asked Jesus to show me personally who He really was and answer this question once and for all. Over the next few months I came to know at a level far beyond rational reasoning that Jesus was in fact all that Scripture tells us He is—and much more. It was like the difference between reading about a person and visiting and getting to know that person.
Even more important, it led to a deeper confidence that is hard to measure—much more than critical research could ever produce. Furthermore, it led to me know that not only was Jesus real, but that what Jesus desired most with me was a real, healthy, pure and intimate relationship.