Psalm 18:31 English Standard Version (ESV) For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?
Do we remember our first encounter with God? Did we know it was God the Father? Did we know it was Jesus? Did any name come to us or was it just knowing who it was that was present?
Why are there question marks here in this psalm? In that first encounter did we know who it was that we faced? Was there any certainty or any assurance?
What did we expect before our first encounter? Did it meet our expectations or exceed it? It can be assumed that because the encounter was at least one of the identities of our Triune God that faith must have played some role in the encounter.
Did anyone encounter God before they placed their faith in Christ? Do we even remember what was going on in our lives just before that encounter? For some of us it happened over sixty years ago. It is possible that over time, because we have changed, because we have matured, that the first encounter has been overshadowed by all that came afterwards.
The only reason it might be important to remember is in dealing with someone who is just now going through that themselves for the first time. They might want answers. They might not even know what questions to ask about their own experience.
I can share what happened to me and it might resonate with only a few people. We are all different and God touches us first in different ways because only God knows when we are ready and how to reach out to us.
Some will have a supernatural encounter that sounds like the speaker thinks of themself as special, set apart and their testimony might be received as a voice of pride. It is hard to be humble in the face of God’s miraculous touch.
We must look to those around us and be appropriate with what we share. Mature men and women with decades of experience with God would certainly be able to receive the truth without question.
Our witness is not about us, it is for the hearer to receive and believe God is real.