God’s “visits”

GOD OFTEN VISITS US, BUT MOST OF THE TIME WE ARE NOT AT HOME. In this proverb, the French touch on something about our relationship with God that has challenged and perplexed Christians from the start, from the novices to the mystics. How can we know that God is visiting us?
–Describing such a visit, St. Teresa of Avila observed that “God so places Himself in the interior of that soul that when it returns to itself it can in no way doubt that it was in God and God was in it” (Light from Light, Dupré and Wiseman 316).
–Bernard of Clairvaux wrote of God’s presence in his soul this way: “And where he comes from when he enters my soul, or where he goes when he leaves it, and how he enters and leaves, I frankly do not know” (Dupré and Wiseman 110).
–The difficulty with these “visits” is that they are so unsubstantial and mental. … Which leads me to consider CS Lewis’ more scientific explanation. He blamed our imperfect communication with God on the brain, which doesn’t originate the interaction but operates as a faulty “receiving set” (Miracles 62). And this sometimes also appears to be true. Certainly, nothing puts more static and distraction into my “receiving set” than the challenges of daily living—being hungry, tired, worried or sick.
–To conclude this discussion on visits, I must add another person’s experience, perhaps my favorite. Oswald Chambers said, “God will give us His touches of inspiration only when He sees that we are not in danger of being led away by them” (May 1, My Utmost for His Highest). For God wants us to “walk by faith, not by sight” (II Cor. 5:7). And so, God’s “exceptional moments” with us are, according to Chambers, “surprises.” No need to sit in our room waiting. God knows where to find us. (Drawn from Turning Aside to See, chapter 60. ©️ 2011)