At the conclusion of church/fellowship retreats, there are always a few that I find who are left a little sad. Their sadness comes from the fact that while they witness many others being given sweet spiritual blessings/healings/salvation in other people, they themselves seem to have missed out or even been passed over. This is where the notion of the bunker buster blessing comes in.

In my fascination of military TV programming, I once stumbled upon a show on bunker buster missiles and bombs. These things are no ordinary explosive weapons. They are highly specialized because you can shoot them through walls or through dirt underground to detonate hidden bunks/buildings/bad guys’ hangout.

Now, for those who seem to have “missed out on blessings” at retreats – in fact, have NOT. What has happened is that the blessings of God had so deeply penetrated our hearts, souls, and/or minds that it isn’t so very obvious as the “ordinary kind”. However, upon hours or days or weeks after the event has passed, we see the inevitable signs of these blessings which God has so deeply penetrated in our beings. This type of blessings, it seems, usually happens when there are deep rooted things within us which we may not even be aware of – but praise God, He is! (Romans 8:26-27) And so God shoots deep and then allows the spiritual “bomb” to “explode” and lead us to realization, thankfulness, and/or repentance.

And so this is for all of those who feel as if God had passed by without blessings. Though your particular encounter with God may have not had the same outward expression, God has touched you deeply. One pastor once told me that the true measure of a retreat or an encounter with God cannot be fully seen or understood until some time has passed. I am confident in saying that those who are hit with these bunker buster blessings end up reaping great rewards of spiritual growth over the long haul.

(Related: P. Sam’s blog from 2011 Summer Youth Retreat)