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The Weight of Encountering God

As I write this my neck and shoulders are still sore from moving, lifting, and dragging 24,000 pounds of roofing shingles with 3 other guys. About two weeks ago we got a call that a couple wanted to donate the materials for two huge roofing projects here at Black Diamond Camp. This was a jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, lightheaded-inducing act of generosity.  

We were in the process of psyching ourselves up for a big development campaign over the next couple of years to raise funds for new roofing, but God worked powerfully through this couple to use their ministry of roofing materials to bless us and the thousands of guests we get to serve in our facilities. I am still floored by the generosity of the Lord and His people.  

I was struck by the weight of this blessing. When we have the opportunity to encounter Jesus, there is a gravity that flows in His wake. We often pray for blessings and healings, we say we want deliverance and forgiveness, but are we ready?  

In our story we thought we were ready to receive a truck load of shingles, take the skid loader and just pop those 15 pallets off the truck, the driver would be on his way, and it would be back to business as usual.  

Gerry, our Facility Director, secured the forks under the first pallet pulled the joystick back…nothing. Nothing?! No, nothing moved! Suddenly we realized we were not ready for the weight of this blessing. A quick group text and the calvary came to help redistribute the load. By the end of the saga, I was soaked to the bone with aggregate under my skin and two useless noodles for arms.  

There is a weight, a gravity in encountering the Lord that is beautiful, that is challenging, moving, inspiring, and difficult. The blessings the Lord has in-store for us are greater than anything we can imagine. Gerry and I could have turned the delivery away for another day so we could bring in a bigger machine, but we took a deep breath and chose to face the weight of the situation in the moment. It has transformed the way I look at blessings, donors, donations, and the heart of God.  

As I unpack the experience there are so many stories through scripture that come to mind. In Mark 5, there was a man with an impure spirit looking through the imprisoned shell of a body, with no hope on the horizon for deliverance until he encountered Jesus. It was in that moment that the gravity of encountering Jesus changed the course of his life that led him to be one of the first missionaries sharing all that Jesus had done.  

In Numbers 14, the nation of Israel is found looking up at Moses on Mt. Sinai with the invitation to be a kingdom of priests, the Promise Land was within reach, but they found themselves desiring to go back to Egypt to what was “familiar.” A whole generation of unbelieving Israelites had to pass away before the nation was ready to receive the weight of God’s blessing.  

The blessings of the Lord are overflowing. Are you ready to take a step of faith, to be bold, to trust the Lord, and to receive the weight of blessing by encountering Jesus? His blessings are never more than you can handle, but they might be more than you’re ready for! 

Further Reading (with a cup of coffee or tea): 

Mark 5:1-20 

Numbers 14 

Matthew 25:14-30 

– Ryan Saenz, Black Diamond Camp General Manager