Encounter & Prayer (Ekklesia Part 2)
The Blueprint: Encounter and Prayer are the Foundations of a Transformed Life
At the heart of God’s design for His church is a people who meet with Him—face to face. This encounter with His presence is not just a concept; it’s the lifeblood of a healthy, Spirit-filled church and a transformative Christian life. Scripture reveals that the number one thing we need at any point in our lives is an encounter with God. Not merely information about Him, but a personal, shaping, life-defining experience in His presence.
Wrestling with God: Jacob's Life-Changing Encounter
In Genesis 32:22-30 (ESV), we find Jacob alone at night, wrestling with a mysterious man until daybreak. This wasn’t just any man—Jacob realized later that he had wrestled with God Himself. The encounter left Jacob physically marked and spiritually transformed. He walked away with a new identity, renamed Israel, and he renamed the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”
Encounters with God do this. They mark us. They change us. Sometimes, they even break us so that we can be rebuilt in the image of Christ. Just as Jacob’s encounter changed his name and identity, encounters with God redefine who we are and can even transform the environments we live in.
Access Through Christ: The Door is Open
Thanks to Jesus, every believer has access to the Father. Ephesians 2:17-19 (ESV) tells us:
“And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”
This access is a gift. It’s not earned through effort but through the blood of Jesus. Yet while the door is open, we must choose to walk through it. God invites us to draw near. As James 4:8 (ESV) reminds us, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”
Face-to-Face: Moses and the Tent of Meeting
Moses modeled what a life of encounter looks like. In Exodus 33:7-11 (ESV), he would pitch the Tent of Meeting outside the camp to seek the Lord. There, “the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” This face-to-face encounter wasn’t a one-time event—it was a habit, a lifestyle. And it changed Moses so much that his own face began to shine with the glory of God (Exodus 34:29).
The Hebrew word for presence, panim, literally means “face.” Encountering the presence of God is about more than emotional experience; it’s about relational proximity. Just like Moses, we are called into a personal, face-to-face relationship with God that transforms us from the inside out.
Three Ways God Encounters Transform Us
1. Encounters Transform Us Into Who We Were Created to Be
We were made in God’s image, yet sin has distorted that image. The gospel doesn’t repair us—it makes us new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) says:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
And the journey of transformation continues through encounters with God. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV) says:
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another…”
2. Encounters Strengthen Our Hearts for the Endurance Race
In His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11), and the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). If we want to endure life’s trials and the race of faith, we need strength. To receive that strength, we need joy. And to experience that joy, we must be in His presence.
This is why worship, prayer, and the Word aren’t religious duties—they are doorways to God’s presence. And His presence is what sustains us.
3. Encounters Overflow into the World Around Us
A lifestyle of daily encounter with God becomes a lifestyle that brings those encounters to others. Jesus frequently withdrew to commune with the Father, and from that place of intimacy, He ministered to the world. Likewise, our personal meetings with God become a source of life and power for others.
Whether at work, in a neighborhood, or a coffee shop, a person who walks closely with God carries His presence. Encounters with God are not meant to be hoarded—they're meant to be shared.
Doorways to Encounter: Worship, Word, and Prayer
If we have access, we must know how to enter. Three key doorways help us step into God’s presence:
Worship: Psalm 100:2-4 teaches us to “come into his presence with singing… enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.” Worship isn’t a warm-up—it’s a pathway.
The Word: Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1:14). When we open Scripture, we encounter the living Christ. His Word reveals His face.
Prayer: Prayer aligns our hearts with God’s will and becomes the place where transformation deepens. As we delight in Him, He shapes our desires (Psalm 37:4).
Just as Moses pitched a tent outside the camp, we must create space in our lives for meeting with God. The tent of meeting may look like early mornings with a Bible open, whispered prayers on a lunch break, or worship music in the car. The point is intentionality.
Living a Lifestyle of Encounter
A church built on encounter and prayer is a house where God dwells—not just on Sundays but every day through His people. And a people who meet with God regularly become conduits of His presence in a world that desperately needs Him.
Every believer has access to God, but that access must be walked into. The transformation we long for—in our own hearts and in our world—flows from face-to-face communion with the living God.
Reflection Questions:
When was the last time you encountered God's presence in a personal and transformative way? What marked that moment?
Which of the three doorways—worship, the Word, or prayer—feels most accessible to you right now, and how can you lean into it daily?
Who in your life might experience God's presence through your encounters with Him? How can you intentionally carry His presence into that relationship?