I walked out of work this morning and saw a big full moon hovering over a small mass of clouds looking down at me. The sky was black and the early morning air was cold.
And in that moment, I saw God today.
Why is that important? The Bible tells us that the things of God are clearly seen in his creation. Often times we rush to and fro missing the things God has put in our path for us to see.
How would you feel if you painted a masterpiece and tried to show it to everyone passing by? No one gave you the time of day. No one stopped to look at the deep stokes of color on the canvas. Words like, “That’s nice,” floats by but no one really notices or if we are being truthful, even cares.
We all have our reasons for not paying attention to things. The mad holiday rush, then the meals we have to eat. Oh and the joy of the New Year, making resolutions that you know you can’t keep (but it’s fun to try.)
Then as the days begin in the New Year, back to the grindstone. Work, bills, family, and other things bog us down.
Maybe your life is swimming down a flushing toilet like mine is right now. You are going round and round trying to keep afloat all the while it’s slowly pulling you down. I know, I am in a toilet right next to yours. It doesn’t matter how we got there.
Maybe your family is falling apart. Or you need some serious cash because you lost your job. The transmission went out in the van and it’s going to cost you money you don’t have. Your roof leaks, and leaks, and leaks.
It’s times like this we question God and his sovereignty. We toss up our prayers demanding God to fix it. We demand to know why.
Days pass, God is silent.
The roof still leaks, the divorce papers are filed, and you are still walking to work.
We need a reminder of who God it. And in that moment, while we may not see an answer, God will send us a note pasted on the canvas of the night letting us know he is still there.
In the book of Hebrew chapter 13 God gave us a beautiful promise. He said in verse 5: I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
That is what we need to be reminded of. God never told us he would deliver us from the lion’s den. All he told us was to follow him, in good times, and in the bad.
And right now, for many of us, it’s bad times.
As we move forward into 2015, we will face many challenges. We are being warned that war could break out on America soil. We could see Marshal Law take over. We might find that we have to smuggle bibles across state lines to underground believers. You may wake up one day to find your saving wiped out.
Through it all, God said he will never leave us.
So what do we do? How do you find God in the midst of the storm?
First of all, we need to make a habit of looking up. If you are looking down at that dirty old ground that is all you will see. Generally, by looking down, we see unpleasant things. We notice how dark the dirt is. We see the mess left in our yard by the neighbor’s dog. Sure, we have a nice flower bed but we notice the dog mess, we see the weeds, we see depression.
Listen.
What do you hear? Do you hear the wind? How about the birds singing? Is the snow falling? Can you catch on one your tongue?
And what about that sunset that will take your breath away?
God is still near, even in the midst of the storm.
He doesn’t have to tell you why you are going through this nightmare. He puts out his hand and expects you to take it.
I would rather go into the storm with Jesus than without him. Wouldn’t you?
We need to remember who God is. God is God. He is the Great I Am. He is the same God that spoke the world into existence and still the same God who calls your name.
He is the same God that says, “I’m here, rest in me.”
I saw God today. I looked up just in time. My coworkers walked by rushing to their cars. I stood there as God reminded me who He was.
It was only a second or two but you know when you have an encounter with the Most High God.
I want to remind you that God is faithful, even when we are not. Jeremiah understood this. Israel was sacked, destroyed, and yet look at what he said.
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercy that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul. Therefore will hope in him. (Lamentations 3:21-24)
I would encourage you, take a minute right now, where ever you are and be reminded of whom God is. Remember what God has done. Remember that one day soon we will be with Jesus.
God said, I will never leave you. That is a promise. God can not lie.
This is just a reminder…
By Troy Koehne — [email protected]
