Where is That Reef?

There is a man-made reef on the gulf where we love to vacation. I often see snorkelers swim out to see it. To find it, I have to kayak out from the shore, then line up a yellow triangle in front of a blue rectangle. Then I paddle out hoping to find it and the fish it attracts. Sometimes I find it right away, and other times I don’t find it at all.

At times, I just know I’m right over it, but the water is murky or the waves make it impossible to see the reef.

OK, if you know me well or have read past posts on this blog, I’ve told you that God speaks to me at the beach in a strong way. I come away with several beach lessons each trip. This trip is no different.

Just like me with that elusive reef, we sometimes have trouble finding God’s will. We pray and ask for direction and purpose, or for help for ourselves or others. Sometimes we get answers clearly and quickly, but other times we seem to get only silence.

So what do you do? Do you give up? Do you get discouraged? Do you turn away from the Lord? Do you seek your own life purpose or do you continue to go search for the reef?

Let’s take the yellow and blue markers and relate them to what we do when we are seeking His will. Let’s say the blue rectangle in the back is God’s Truth. Then let’s say the yellow triangle, that must be directly in front of the rectangle, is our obedience. Our goal is to line up our obedience to His commands. If you are off even a little, His answers may be harder to find.

What He is wanting us to do is do what He’s already told us. Often we keep asking for other answers when He’s already given us a command and we’ve chosen not to obey.

But sometimes He doesn’t answer right away, or in the manner we expect. Perhaps He has things to teach us in the midst of no answer. Seek to discover if something is just clouding your vision or if chaos around you are keeping you from seeing the answer, just as the murky water and waves often block my sight of the reef. If you don’t get the answer, be patient in the wait.

If you believe Psalm 139:16, which says, “Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began,” then you know God won’t hide His purpose from you. He WILL show you the way!

So what do you do? Try these 4 things:

1. Keep lining up your life with His Truth…in other words, get in and stay in His Word and do what it says!
2. Ask others to pray for you and keep you accountable to obey His commands.
3. Trust that He is at work even if  you “can’t find the reef!”
4. Finally, ““Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8, HCSB)   Photo at right by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

And, by the way, yes, I will go out looking for that reef again!

P.S. And YES, prior to publishing this post, I found the reef once more!

Banner photo by Marek Okon on Unsplash