Soar

Yesterday, our pastor was talking about being in God’s presence. He spoke of 1 Kings 19:11-12 which reads, “The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a GENTLE WHISPER. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.” (NIV)

He talked about the various ways we could hear that small still voice of God. As Psalms 46:10 says, we need to “Be still and know that I am God”.

People experience the presence of God in various ways. I’ve always felt the most connected to God when surrounded by nature. For me, when all I can see, hear and touch is the wondrous creations He gave us to enjoy, I feel embraced by Him. Communication flows freely between He and I and I leave that surrounding calmed, focused, and ready to face whatever life throws at me.

Although this isn’t the only time I feel God’s presence, it’s a rejuvenation time for me that I don’t always feel in the day to day. As I sat in the service yesterday I underlined in my notes “getting out in nature”, knowing this is something I am in need of. However, God had other plans for me.

My day yesterday was quite busy after service. I zipped from one place to another trying to get things taken care of. I then went to pick up my daughter who had gone home with a friend. While there it begin to rain, even as the sun shone brightly. As my husband stepped out the back door to go to the car, he told us to come look at the rainbow. I stood behind the house amazed at how bright it was. Never had I seen the colors so bright and beautiful and bold! My husband walked towards the car and as he walked around the end of the house he exclaimed, “I can see the end of the rainbow!” Having absolutely no idea what he meant (cause we all know you can’t see the end of a rainbow) I walked around the end of the house and stopped in amazement. There, in the field across the road, was the end of the rainbow. I can’t explain to you how beautiful this was. The end of the rainbow touched down in the field. The trees lining the field behind the rainbow were tinged with its colors.

What beauty!
What magnificence!
What art!

I called out to the children to run to the end of the rainbow. I wanted to know, if I stood in the midst of it, would I see the colors?

We didn’t make it to the field before the rainbow began to move. Yes, it moved. I watched as the end of the rainbow retreated before us and moved through the forest. Again, I was amazed. Not only can you see the end of a rainbow, but you can also watch it move across the ground!!

I thanked God for the beauty of it all. When one of those present said, “We’re lucky to see that” I told them, “No, we’re blessed.”

God was teaching me an important lesson. You see, I felt that I needed to escape the day to day and go of into nature to be able to relax, be still, and feel His presence. Yet, God knew what I needed and when I was overcome by all my tasks and to-dos, God brought nature to me.

God knows what each of us needs. He knows when we need it, how we need it, and how to present it to us. All we need to do is slow down enough so that we can be still and experience His presence.

(Photo credit: Ron Loflin)