Natural is full of supernatural.
You can not be spiritual (in a biblical sense that means walking in the Spirit) without living in His Presence because without it you are in danger of becoming a loud, self-pointing and annoying cymbal (1 Cor 13:1). On that journey you will experience things of supernatural sorts, whenever needed, in other words, when God decides you have to have a boost of the Presence revealed in spectacular way so you will know that the things happening to you, with you or around you are of the sort from another world where the Lord of Lords decides times and seasons. Quiet often these moments are enigmatic, unexplainable, veiled in mystery, short, shocking, perplexing and when you think back about what occurred, time doesn’t interfere with the recollection of them, which means that it feels like they just happened and the connection to them is alive.
St. Paul, as many mature mystics, was hesitant about sharing his experiences of the supernatural sort (how different from today’s Christian charismatic or charismaniac spectrum, where every other person claims to see angels, demons or have extraordinary and otherworldly experiences on a weekly basis) and made sure that he shared his insight with those who desired life in the Spirit to understand that a thorn will be attached to you when you move to the deep waters. The speculations of what sort of thorn was it is wide and not of the utmost importance for the reason for it is explained by him as: to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
To live from His Presence, you have to make a journey that is long and rewarding, arduous and joyful, demanding and satisfying, peppered by some spectaculars and paved with thousands normal encounters because natural is full of supernatural if only we can see the hand of God crafting His grace in moments masked by casual encounters with people, with creation, with ideas. We desperately want shortcuts in our ways with God, we want simple solutions to ministry and pastoral issues and we are tempted to be hooked on the supernatural that is spectacular not understanding that the supernatural has to become hidden quickly so we will be clinging to God Himself and seeking Him (when He is not hiding we are not seeking) not to our own experiences and desires for them. Growing into Jesus gives us new way of seeing His Light and once our sight of the new man is cured and elevated we see continually the supernatural Presence of God in natural and unnoticeable things. For that is how He reveals Himself within His beloved creation.
Fasting is making us poor enough to start seeing supernatural in the natural bc the senses of our heart are sharpened and we recognize grace that is sufficient to draw us closer to Him even through our weaknesses.
“Brothers and sisters:
I must boast; not that it is profitable, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
I know a man in Christ who, fourteen years ago
(whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows),
was caught up to the third heaven.
And I know that this man
(whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows)
was caught up into Paradise and heard ineffable things, which no one may utter.
About this man I will boast,
but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses.
Although if I should wish to boast, I would not be foolish, for I would be telling the truth.
But I refrain, so that no one may think more of me
than what he sees in me or hears from me because of the abundance of the revelations.
Therefore, that I might not become too elated,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness.”
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Blog posts about fasting:
