Shows like Joan of Arcadia compare talking with God to someone experiencing a hallucination. The season one finale revealed that Joan Garadi had contracted a severe case of Lyme disease. While Joan did have face to face conversations with God as a distinct manifestation, the doctor’s diagnosis threw Joan into a crisis of faith, questioning if all that had happened was real or simply her own imagination.
And God [in a distinctly visible manifestation] appeared to Jacob again when he came out of Padan-aram, and declared a blessing on him. 10 Again God said to him, Your name is Jacob [supplanter]; you shall not be called Jacob any longer, but Israel shall be your name. So He called him Israel [contender with God]. 11 And God said to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you and kings shall be born of your stock; 12 The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and to your descendants after you I will give the land. 13 Then God ascended from him in the place where He talked with him, Genesis 35:9-12.
As I study the Bible, God’s process of communication transitions from face-to-face conversations while talking a walk with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to using angels and dreams. Depending upon the situation, God does make special appearances as described by Moses in the passage above. This spiritual encounter served as a reminder to Jacob of God’s promises to his family as well as hope for his future.
And six days after this, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 And His appearance underwent a change in their presence; and His face shone [a]clear and bright like the sun, and His clothing became as white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, who kept talking with Him. 4 Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good and delightful that we are here; if You approve, I will put up three booths here—one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah. 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a shining cloud [[b]composed of light] overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is My Son, My Beloved, with Whom I am [and [c]have always been] delighted. Listen to Him! 6 When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were [d]seized with alarm and struck with fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, Get up, and do not be afraid. 8 And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only, Matthew 17:1-7.
When you study the 12 disciples in the 4 gospels, they all appear to believe in ghosts. When Jesus walked on water, most of the disciples’ thought their minds were playing tricks on them. According to John 14:26, Jesus promises to send a Holy Spirit which will serve as a new form of a distinct manifestation. If you’ve ever attended a spiritual retreat where God began to do amazing and miraculous things, then you too have experienced a distinct manifestation of God.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 