I’ve been reading the works of Elisabeth of Schönau (1129-65). No, I’d never heard of her before, but she was well known in the 12th century. She was a Benedictine nun who started have visions at the age of 23. Encouraged by her Abbot and assisted by her brother Eckebert, her visions were written down and circulated. Her early visions were very personal, but as time went on she had visions that related to various events going on. People began to ask questions of her which were sometimes answered through a vision.

Visionaries are always a problem for the church. How do you know they really have visions? Maybe they just make things up. Or maybe these visions are hallucinations, the product of a disturbed mind.  I don’t think Elisabeth was making things up, but I can’t say for certain whether the visions were from God.

Religious experience is a tricky thing. How much credence should we give to someone else’s experience? I don’t know, but if someone tells me, “God told me in a dream you should give me $100,” I’m unlikely to do it. It’s even harder to say how much value a person should give to their own experience.

I am convinced that visions or hearing God or just experiencing the presence of the Lord are real possibilities. I believe it is helpful to talk about personal experience with others because they can sometimes be a help in understanding the experience.

Personal religious experiences are mysterious, but they are worth giving some attention to.

Read Acts 2:17  and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne