TUESDAY
Last week and this week in the devotionals, we are looking at some stories of people’s encounters with the presence of God to give us some perspective on the various ways we can experience the presence of God. Last week we looked at biblical characters. This week we will explore the stories of some believers’ encounters with God in the history of the church.
In his autobiographical work, Confessions, Augustine describes a profound moment of transformation. Sitting in a garden, wrestling with his desires and resistance to God, he hears a child's voice saying, "Take up and read." This moment would change everything in his life. He picked up a Bible and read Romans 13:13-14.
In his life prior, Augustine was a bit of a wild man. In Confessions, he admits being enslaved to sexual sin. He called it “a boiling cauldron of illicit loves.” At one point in his struggling, he even prayed, “Lord, grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.” He admits to also being full of pride and intellectual arrogance as he was a skilled teacher. Yet, in the midst of his wandering, he remained restless. As he famously says in his Confessions, "You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
These words from the book of Romans pierced Augustine's heart. After years of intellectual pursuit and moral struggle, God met him through Scripture's living words. His mother Monica's faithful prayers, combined with Ambrose's teaching, had prepared the soil—but it was this experience that brought Augustine to surrender his life to Jesus.
Additional Content
Reflection
When has a passage of Scripture pierced your heart at just the right time? Commit to listening to God’s promptings in Scripture.