Seeing God In The Little Things
For a several years I got by with a cheap pair of reader glasses. I knew I was in trouble when I squinted and struggled to read even the largest font on my phone. Tiny print was totally out of the question for me. As I continuously increased the magnification, I began to get headaches. A trip to the ophthalmologist proved that it was time for “real glasses.” A specific prescription lenses formulated just for me quickly replaced the generic pair from the drugstore rack. After adjusting to the progressive lenses, I was always able to see what I had been trying to see. The new glasses brought everything into focus, opening up a new world to me.
Life does not always show up in large print.
We squint and struggle trying to make sense out of the blurry events spinning around us. If we are honest, oftentimes we look at the chaos and find it difficult to see God anywhere. Our core beliefs come into question when we look with our natural eye.
I believe God is sovereign. I believe He is always involved. I believe He will never leave us alone. I believe He made a way for us through the blood of Jesus. I believe He causes all things to work together for the good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
I believe that when we cry out to Him, He hears and answers.
Then why do I often strain to see Him when He is seemingly nowhere to be found? A story in 1 Kings 18:41-46 brings understanding and encouragement to our hearts.
There had been a drought in the land for three long years, but God had spoken to Elijah and told him He would send rain on the land. Elijah did everything that God told him to do and then he told the king “get ready, there is the sound of a heavy rain.” The king went off to eat and to drink, but Elijah took God at His promise and climbed the mountain and positioned himself to encounter the God who keeps all His promises.
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Lest you missed it, Elijah sent his servant to look for a sign of the fulfillment of the promise. He believed in a covenant keeping God. He sent the servant with His prescription lens to look for the answer. Not just once, but seven times. And there it was in a tiny black cloud. That small print was all that Elijah needed to run into the victory.
How often do we overlook the tiny, or what we call tiny things of God?
A blurred vision and wavering faith can lead us to miss God.
The cloud was tiny, but the rain was great. Elijah waited, worshipped and believed. He stayed in a position of prayer until the answer came.
“Lord, teach us to position our hearts before you in worship, prayer and expectation. We desire to confidently build our lives on your promises. Give us eyes of faith that watch and wait, knowing that you always do what you say.”
Position yourself to encounter the God who keeps all of His promises!
God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Numbers 23:19