If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:13

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1

Devotion

When my daughter and nephew were in their early teens, I decided that we would do a devotional book together. In one particular section, we were focusing a great deal on how nature and creation tell us about God. I thought a great object lesson for this would be to go on a hike at the Wichita Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in Lawton.  

As we got up early on a Saturday morning and headed south to our destination, I was excited. I was pumped up about how God was going to use this time to speak to the kids. On the way, I made sure to direct them to be really observant about all that they would be seeing. It was Spring, so I was sure there would be all kinds of natural beauty in the trees and plants.

When we got there and started off on the hike, I quickly became exasperated and frustrated … with God. There had been a wildfire in the area, so everything was black and dead. As far as we could see … charred vegetation. In my mind, I started giving God an earful. “Really? This is what we get? I’ve been really talking up how nature reveals your character, and all you’ve got for us is ugliness and death … ARGH! How am I supposed to turn this mess into something?”

Well, I obviously had to make this work somehow, so I started looking very closely for any sign of life as we traveled our path. Every once in a while, I would notice a little green amidst the charcoal … a tiny stem with an itty, bitty purple flower. Another one with an orange flower. There weren’t many of them, but what I found I took pictures of.

When we reached the end of our hike, and I asked the kids what they noticed, they were honest … they didn’t really see anything that they felt told them about God. I, on the other hand, had been astounded and was able to share with them what I had discovered. 

That hike was a lot like life … there are times we get hit by life’s storms or wildfires, and we wonder where God is. Why isn’t he showing up? Where did he go? In those difficult times, we can be blinded by all the ugliness and darkness around us, but God is still there. Sometimes, we just have to look a little more closely. We have to be diligent about searching for the glimpses that are right there in front of us. And when we do that, we will be even more touched by the tiny witnesses of his presence and love than we could have imagined … for the Lord does not abandon those who search for him (Psalm 9:10).

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for your many promises in the Bible that tell us if we search for you, we will find you. You have assured us you will never leave us or forsake us. In those dark moments of life, please reveal yourself to us. Open our eyes to see where you are present and open our hearts to feel your love. When everything around us seems to say you are far away, make us aware of your presence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jennifer Ayotte
Director, Communications

Resources

• Listen to You’re Still Moving by Crossings Venue Worship.
• Listen to Eye of the Storm by Ryan Stevenson.
• Read Hearing God by Dallas Willard.

Read More Devotions

Explore other devotions like this one any time at crossings.church/devotions.