My recent Blogs have been about emotions and feelings – and how to put those sentiments into perspective so they don’t dominate our lives.  There’s one special feeling I still want to touch on: the feeling of the presence of God, or, if you like, emotions that come from special spiritual experiences.  Jonathan Edwards wrote a whole book on this subject: Religious Affections.

As a pastor I’ve met folk who, for better or worse, had intense feelings on this subject.  At one end of the spectrum are those who have had some euphoric experience of God’s presence, at the other end of the spectrum are those who wonder why they never feel close to God.

It’s easy for those who have had wonderful feelings of God’s love and mercy to wonder why everyone else doesn’t have the same feelings.  And, of course, there’s the danger of spiritual pride if you’ve had such an experience.  It’s also easy for those who have had no emotional experience of God, not only to question the genuineness of their own faith, but also to treat with suspicion those who claim some special religious experience.

So what’s the go?  To begin with, let me stress that God deals with all of us differently.  The apostle Paul had an experience where he was caught up into Paradise – he’s not sure whether it was an out-of-the-body experience or not, however it was wonderfully real for him.  But I don’t read of that happening to any other New Testament writer.  Peter, James and John were with Jesus when He was gloriously transformed on the mountain and His clothes became as white as the light.  However, the other nine disciples did not get to experience that event.  Moses got to see the passing glory of God but his siblings Aaron and Miriam missed out on that experience.

Because each of us is a unique creation of God, He deals with us in unique ways.  That’s true not only for the people in the Bible; it’s also true for us today.  A lonely elderly parishioner struggles with personal and family issues.  Her mind is in turmoil as she tries to get some handles on reality.  In desperation she asks the Lord to let her know that He is real.  She tells me that as she prayed she felt a hand touching her and giving her a wonderful sense of peace.  But I think of other devout parishioners who struggled on grimly, year after year, and for whom there was no such comforting touch of God.

Recently a young man had a wonderful experience of God.  God made His presence felt to that young man in church as the local preacher was expounding the gospel.  Tears flowed.  But why only for that one young man - as far as we know?

Of course it’s tempting to try to manufacture experiences of God.  It troubles me that I’ve sat in a worship service where a song leader and music group are trying to manipulate me with emotional and repetitive singing to put me into a frame of mind where I can experience God.  They don’t realise that there is a huge difference between a genuine touch of God and some musically induced feelings of euphoria.  In the Middle Ages the mystics had their formulas for making God’s presence real to people.  Many of these Christian mystics genuinely wanted people to experience a deeper kind of spirituality in which God is real.  But I also read of some where I have to wonder whether it was a touch of God or (dare I say it?) a touch of Satan.  Let’s not forget that the Enemy is a great counterfeiter who would love nothing more than to have you blown away by emotional experiences that are not from God.

Again at this point I have to say that feelings are so transitory that we cannot build our lives on them.  I recall an incident that happened fifty years ago that strongly brought home to me the presence of God.  That day the trees were just a little greener and the sky a little more blue, as all my perceptions were heightened.  I felt I was walking on air.  I’ve never experienced it again... and today it is a very dim and distant memory.

We can’t base our lives on feelings and experiences, we need the more solid foundation of the Word of God and we need that same Word to test all our experiences and feelings.

John Westendorp