Just Below the Surface

As I write this my husband and I are on an extended time away from home. We don’t live here, but the beach is our home away from home every chance we get. Our time here began a bit sad as I wondered what God was doing. 

The first couple of days we were here, I saw only a handful of dolphins. It was in the morning as I sat on the balcony spending time with Jesus. The dolphin sometimes jump and spin and are very obvious. Today, they were only showing their fins once in a while. It was a quiet and slow movement and I had to watch closely to catch it. My first thought was: I know they are there. I know there are more dolphin than I see right now. 

My next thought was: that’s kind of like God. I know He is there, even if He only makes His presence really obvious here and there. At times He seems to be moving slowly and quietly when I want a big loud word from Him. 

I do get to hear Him loud and clear at times. Sometimes through the reading of scripture, sometimes in prayer, sometimes through another person or a church worship service. But then there are the other times. The times when I’m praying and seeking and He’s hard to find. 

Sometimes when I am hurting, I wonder why I don’t see God at work. Does He even care that I hurt? Is He paying attention? If you’ve walked with Christ for a long time, you know the answers to these questions that creep into our hearts and minds: yes and yes. He does care and He does pay attention. 

Like the dolphin, I know He is just below the waves, and if I keep my eyes on Him, I’ll see Him surface reminding me He is there, He knows, and He will show me exactly what He wants me to know at exactly the perfect time. 

What do you do when Jesus seems to be hiding? Our role is to keep our eyes on Him and His Word, and keep talking and listening to Him even if He seems silent. He hasn’t gone anywhere, and He is at work. 

I was reading Max Lucado’s book, You Were Made For This Moment as I had my eyes on the waves. Scroll to read His words.

He’s bigger than any waves or storms, and He’s working in the middle of our story. Our earthly story ends when we see Jesus face to face. In the meantime we trust His heart and sovereignty in our story. Keep calling to Him as Jeremiah 33:3 says: Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know. Then listen to what He reveals!

If you missed last week’s post, please scroll back to When God Says No.

Banner photo by Rudney Uezu on Unsplash