A Holy Ground Encounter
“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai (Mt. Horeb), an angel appeared to Moses in a flame of a burning bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went to take a closer look, the voice of the LORD called out to him, ‘I AM the GOD of your ancestors – the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look. Then the LORD said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.'” Acts 7:30-33 NLT
Holy Ground…
The word “Holy” used in this reference is “hágios” and it means “consecrated, devoted, sacred, holy, meaning set apart from a common to a sacred use.” – [Olive Tree; CWSB]
Have you ever been in a church meeting and seen people with their shoes off? Have you ever wondered why they do that? I used to see those people from time to time and in my mind, they fell into either one of two categories: a) they were religious b) it was a point of honor infused into their culture.
A few years ago, I went to a large Christian gathering in a stadium in Central Florida. A point in the service came when one of the speakers asked everyone to take off their shoes and hold them high up in the air symbolizing, “Yes, LORD, I will go!” We had been in the hot Florida sun literally all day, sweating and baking. People were shoulder to shoulder in that place and now they were asking us to take off our shoes and hold them up. All over the stadium people were holding their shoes high. I thought, “My feet have been in these shoes all day. I already went and got the T Shirt. I’m not going and I’m not taking my shoes off. Forget it.” To me, that was just religious.
Fast forward to the beginning of 2022, I had been invited to attend a Friday night church service in Pensacola. I had been through two very hard years in my life and I desperately wanted and needed a fresh encounter with the LORD. On my way there that night, I prayed earnestly and said, “GOD, I’m not going for another prophetic word. I don’t want hands laid on me. I need an encounter with You.” When I entered the church, there was an usher standing at the door praying. I smelled the familiar aroma of frankincense and myrrh that I knew so well from years past and I felt the presence of the LORD as I walked in. They pointed me toward the sanctuary, and as I entered in and walked toward the rows of chairs to find a place to sit, I walked into what I can only describe as a wall of the Glory of GOD. It stopped me in my tracks. I just stood there for a moment in awe. It felt high and wide and thick and it took my breath away when I stepped into it. That moment, I said in my heart, “My GOD, You’re here!” I looked around the room and all over, there were people knelt down, facing into their seats, on their knees praying ahead of the service. I walked over to a chair a few rows back from the front and sat down. All I can say to you is that in those precious moments, a holy reverence and awe hit me to a degree that I had never experienced before in my life. Friend, I took off my shoes. Nobody asked me to. I just felt so strongly that I needed to. Every time now that I go, it is one of the first things that I do. I got to noticing others consistently removed their shoes too and for the first time, I understood why. These people had had a Holy Ground encounter at some point in their lives and that was the sign. It is a holy and meaningful reverence of the LORD. It’s a sign of surrender, of honor, of humility and brokenness before the LORD.
As I write this… this is my 40th year, which will be coming to a close in less than an hour. Forty has brought one of the most profound and beautiful revelations that I have ever received of the LORD. I believe GOD marks certain times in our lives, to bring us to places of encounter with Him, to touch us, to bring revelation, to bring understanding, to bring healing… whatever the need is. He’s so faithful!