When We Think of God

How do you think of God?

Do you see a massive throne, angels flying about singing joyously? Do you see a kind, old gentleman, with white beard and thousand yard eyes? Do you see blinding light and golden streets?

God calls us to seek Him but how do you seek Him?

In the midst of the hustle, do you call His name softly, sharing the hopes and dreams, wishes and prayers of everyday? Do you speak to Him in your prayer voice, asking, pleading, begging and remembering?

Do you hear His voice on the wind, in the rustle of leaves, or running deer across the plains? Has your heart quieted down long enough to even know if He is calling you in this time of stress and disorder?

Call His name softly, Whisper His name into the night and listen. Quiet and still, He will return your love, answer your heart, respond to your deepest thoughts and give you rest...

Psalm 42: 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. (NIV)

We spend so much of our lives looking outward. We spend a lifetime ignoring the wonder right at our feet often missing the singular beauty that God placed in running streams. Sitting beside a quiet brook one can capture some of what God desires for us, when He placed these outdoor cathedrals in our midst.

As we rush through life, taking scant breaks to wonder at the wonders that God created, we miss the small miracles and fail to receive the precious, soul satisfying sanctity of His quiet, confident, care. Too often our lives are an unending rush to the next empty appointment where we meet confusion, frustration and despair.

Near the brook of your life is a new spring leaf, bursting with color, brimming with vibrant life, waiting for you to find refuge beside the cool spring of your journey. Take time to experience divine complacency, waiting quietly with The Master, near the waters of your life. Rest in Him. Let your self recline into His arms of love and trust yourself to Him.

O Lord. Carry our hearts to your quiet place today and let us know you better, trust you more and learn to rest in you, forever.

Devotion for Dog Lovers - 2009

PSALM 136:25
...And who gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.

We learn many lessons from our pets. A wise man once observed how pleased he would be to be just half the man his dog thinks he is. Sometimes our dogs represent the different stages of our lives.

As puppies they bound across our laps and into our heart, with their clumsiness, perfect trust and adoring eyes. How like us as we seek to embrace all life has to offer, as youngsters, unafraid and trusting.

When the adult begins to emerge, they settle down and focus on their place within the family, sometimes becoming protective, territorial and happiest when it’s just the family. Doesn’t that remind one of our struggle to balance trust with caution and desire with patience?

As our puppy fully enters those grown middle years, they so often develop habits and distinct personalities that reflect the family, their place in the family hierarchy and how they view themselves. Don’t we? As we mature, don’t we often forsake the things of our passionate youth and replace them with the things that we “settle” for, short of our lofty goals and dreams.

At the end stage, the dog finds comfort close to the fireplace, at the hearth of his life and in his family. Days stretch out as he reflects on the stages of his life that brought him to this place. We do, too. As our age catches us, after a life of running from its iron grip, we surrender our youth and adventurous spirit, for a time of calm reflection. It is there we find our hearts returning to the One who provided for us, all the days of our lives and who waits for us near the gates of our eternity.

Peace be the Journey in 2009....