Have you ever gone on a God Hunt? A God Hunt begins when you teach yourself to look for God’s hand at work in the every day occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
Last night I woke at 1:15 and got up to do a few little tasks around the house, popped a Tylenol so I would be sleepy again in an hour, and set the timer so I would remember to go outside in the frigid cold to see if I could spot the Quadrantids—meteors that streak across the sky for about two hours in each time zone. The astronomers estimated that with a clear sky, the stalwart viewer could see as many as up to 100 falling stars an hour.
This, I felt, was worth losing sleep over.
So, I finished cleaning up the kitchen, started a crock-pot for ham-and-lentil soup, soaked some garbanzo beans for a salad, fiddled with the stubborn rings on the new shower curtains in the guest bathroom, and hung up the wet shower-curtain to dry so it wouldn’t shrink in the dryer.
At 3:00, I stepped outside, eager to spot 100 falling stars. Unfortunately, the night sky was filled with clouds. The 3/4 (last-quarter) moon, which had shone brightly through our bedroom window when I awoke, was now hidden; the midnight blue canopy of heaven was hidden. There was not a star in sight.
Now, I could have concluded that such a wonder as the Quadrantids didn’t exist. But instead, I trusted the experts. Conrad Jung, an astronomer at Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, CA, guaranteed the meteor showers would occur on Wednesday morning, January 4. Mark Ressler, the Weather Channel meteorologist, predicted: “Viewing should be great over most of the country.” Not, it seems, over West Chicago, Illinois. I kept squinting into the northeast part of the sky as recommended—nothing.
My conclusions, rightly so, were that the cloud cover had obscured my meteor-spotting vision. I could see nothing but gray clouds, no clear starry sky. The meteors existed and were falling through the sky at 100 per hour behind the nighttime clouds. I just couldn’t see them.
The same kind of conclusion would be profitable for those of us who look for God in puzzling, vision-dimming circumstances. Because we cannot see Him does not mean He is not working on our behalf. The experts, the spiritual meteorologists, tell us that His loving, benevolent actions are falling around us (100 per hour!) but we are simply in a life zone where the heavenly sky is covered.
During these times we would be much wiser to conclude, “Well, I can’t see what is happening, but I choose to trust that His love is falling all around me. The trouble is not with His intents on my behalf. Something is clouding my view. One day I will see the Quadrantids. I will become a witness to His wonders.”
I spy God!
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Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.
Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.
Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This micro-finance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.
For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. They are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.
Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.