The issue of Christian spirituality and the role that personal experience plays is the hot topic these days. I find myself in the midst of this, as I pastor various members of a flock. Some have come out of bad theological practices that make them very sensitive to anything experimental (and for good reason). Others have friends and/or family members immersed in this contemplative spirituality. And I find myself apart of a denomination that has various perspectives on this issue (some quite troubling). But the bottom line is that we all desire whether we admit it or not personal experience with our Lord. In fact, I would argue we are designed for this. Try avoiding personal experiences in your marriage and see how that works. Which is why I am thankful for Jonathan Edwards who addressed both the necessity and the pitfalls of experience in a masterful way.
Edwards wrote: “what they are principally taken and elevated with, is not the glory of God, or beauty of Christ, but the beauty of their experiences. They keep thinking of themselves, what a good experience is this!...and so they put their experiences in place of Christ, and his beauty and fullness; and instead of rejoicing in Christ Jesus, they rejoice in their admirable experiences.” (Y2, p. 251)
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