Face of Jesus Encounter – Nathan Shaw

The most powerful God encounter I have experienced was when the face of Jesus appeared on a dormitory wall in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. At the time I was ministering with a group of children aged from 9 to 13. The children had diligently prepared very anointed dances for some large outreach meetings. One of the boys names was Humphries.

During one of the outreach meetings God spoke to Humphries and told him He would meet him in his room tomorrow. The children, children’s workers, intercessors, conference organizers and myself, were all staying in a government dormitory. It had a long narrow hallway with doors off each side. The doors went into bedrooms. Each morning we would meet in the hallway. The children would sit with their backs leaning against the walls on either side of the hallway.

The morning the face of Jesus appeared I spoke from Isaiah 6 about seeking God’s face and not just His hand. Seeking God’s face speaks of intimate relationship. Seeking God’s hand speaks of seeking God for the things He can do for us. It was a simple message, one that children could comprehend. After I spoke the children stood up and raised their hands to God. They were hungry for God to touch them. I spent time praying for them. There was a powerful anointing.

Suddenly one of the children saw the face of Jesus on the end wall of the hallway and cried out. Instantly we were all drawn to the end wall. The level of anointing increased dramatically. It was an anointing for intimacy. We lost track of time as we poured our affection on Jesus. We were so gripped with His beauty we couldn’t stop crying and worshiping. Because the wall was only the width of the hallway there wasn’t much space. Some of us were down low, sitting, or on our knees, others were standing. We literally flailed ourselves against the wall, hugging it and kissing it. An observer looking on would have been mystified.

During our time together in the face of Jesus, God did a profoundly deep work in my heart. I have received deliverance many times in my life, but nothing like what I experienced that day in the face of Jesus. Normally when I experience deliverance I feel something leave, but this was different. It happened three times. Each time it was like a tree with deep roots getting pulled out of the depths of my heart. The deepest deliverances I have ever experienced were that day in the face of Jesus.

What I didn’t know is that while I was speaking to the children the leader of the ministry had gone to collect a tour bus. When he came back he stepped into a hallway permeated with a cloud. At the far end was a bunch of children and a few adults flailed against the wall! Eventually we calmed down enough to get on the tour bus—actually it took us a while to calm down even after we were on the tour bus. After we finished the tour we raced back to the hallway to see if the face of Jesus was still there. The face of Jesus stayed on the wall for the remainder of our time there. Any time of the day or night you could find a group of us worshiping, dancing, praying, resting, enjoying the beauty of intimacy with Jesus.

The beauty of this encounter is that we were all in it together. Anytime we wanted we could come and meet with Him. What we experienced wasn’t just for us. It was an anointing for a generation. God performs signs and wonders that reveal His heart for each generation. God’s greatest desire is to encounter this generation with an anointing for intimacy in the face of Jesus. This generation is destined to live in His face. As David says in Psalm 24:6, “This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.”

How about you? Are you hungry to encounter Him? His presence is truly indescribable. When you see Him as He is you can never get away from Him. It’s time to behold the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

© 2018 Nathan Shaw.

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