Encounter with God...

I had an encounter with God today. it was nothing like I've ever experienced before.
The feeling was surreal and I'm still overflowing with joy.
This weekend, our house was almost empty due to some of the staff doing some work in Sheffield. It was very quiet, which is rare. I decided to spend some time alone in the hang-out room upstairs. I really wanted to make something so I got out my pencil and a canvas. I was trying to come up with ideas for a new project but I was getting nothing.
I was looking on google for some inspiration and I happened to come across an image of a word in graffiti. It looked like it said "Hosea".
I started praying and this is what I told God:
"God, will you reveal something to me today? I give you all of my own control. Take this pencil, and draw."
I held the pencil in my hand and just waited.
I relaxed all my muscles and my hand began moving on it's own. The pencil pressed down on the canvas and began drawing.
I wasn't afraid or shocked. I knew it wasn't me who was drawing. I had no control over the pencil.
I started laughing and just watched my hand move up and down, making circles and lines. I began judging the drawing and I asked God if it would be better if I just closed my eyes.
Then my eyes closed and I just let God carry on with whatever it was he was trying to reveal to me.
I kept telling him to just guide my hand-- to stop and go whenever he wanted.
My pencil started getting dull and I said," I should probably sharpen the pencil", and then it dropped from my hand. I sharpened it, and we continued on with the drawing.
This lasted a good 20-25 minutes.
Then my hand set the pencil aside and I held the picture out in front of me.
I had absolutely no idea what it was. And I'm still trying to work out the image.
(But what happened next is the cool part.)
So I set the picture a couple feet away from me and I just sat there, looking at it.
I asked God to speak to me to let me know what he was trying to say.
My left hand moved and touched my bible which was laying on the ground next to me.
I picked it up and my hand began flipping the pages.
(Remember, I wasn't doing any of this under my own control.)
My hands were cold because I wasn't using them with my own strength at all.
It was a very weird feeling but it was invigorating.
Anyway, my hand kept flipping through the pages until it stopped at Revelation 16:17 which reads:
"The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne saying, " It is done!"
I said, alright, God. Is there any other verses that you want me to read for a better understanding, and my hand began flipping through the bible once more until it took me to Hosea 10:12. My index finger was running over the text on the page, leading my eyes over the words which read:
"Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord until he comes and showers righteousness on you."
My finger wouldn't leave the words and it kept rubbing over them back and forth, so I read the verse over and over. Then my left hand lifted from my jeans and touched my ear.He wanted me to listen. My right hand moved over to my laptop and opened up itunes and began scrolling through my music. (I wasn't doing any of this. Trust me.) I was laughing because It was so cool. haha.
My hand stopped on the song "New Humanity" by Lisa Gungor.
The lyrics say:
" A garden once was ours,
but we got lost in wars,
forgetting we were yours.
Creation felt the sting
and all the suffering was seen in everything.
And so we pray, Let your kingdom come.
We look to the day, and justice will be done.
Let a new humanity begin, a new humanity begin.
A broken world, a broken Lord,
He took the cup and poured
that life might be restored.
And in return we now,
are broken and poured out.
Oh, hear us crying out.
As we pray, let your kingdom come,
we look to the day and justice will be done.
Let a new humanity begin, a new humanity begin."
While i was sitting on the ground listening to the song, my hands lifted towards the sky and God wanted me to worship.
I began singing the words and just enjoyed his presence.
After the song finished, my hand moved back to my itunes and began scrolling through my music again.
(This is where it gets so funny.)
So my hand is scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, scrolling.
It took quite a while to get to whatever songs God was pointing me to because I wasn't doing anything.
I look up at the screen and my cursor is hovering over "God put a smile upon your face" by Coldplay.
I just started laughing and couldn't believe it. Then I stood up and began dancing. It wasn't how I usually dance though. haha. it was hilarious. It actually looked like I didn't know how to dance. I started spinning in circles and twirling around the room as if God was dancing with me. And every time in the song when it was sung "God put a smile upon your face" my hand would brush over my face and I couldn't stop smiling.
It was an out of body experience and I can't explain to you the feeling I had. It wasn't my hand that i felt touching my face, but It was God.
I don't think I can ever say i've been as peaceful and so filled with joy as I was in that moment.
It was a crazy experience.
Anyway, when the song had finished I sat back down, and my hands came together.
God wanted me to pray.
So I thanked him for the time I had and asked him to continue to speak to me about the drawing and the verses.
I still haven't came to a full conclusion about the drawing, but I do know that what I experienced was something so special. Something between only me and him. And as crazy and ridiculous as it might sound to someone else, it was real.
I'm thankful for such a fun God.