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 everyday occurrences of your life. Here’s one of my personal God Hunt Sightings:
Since certain areas of our life are stalled (and David and I are aging more and more with each passing day), I felt as though the Lord was asking me to collaborate with His work in our lives by joining Him in serious and earnest prayer requiring more than the usual prayer efforts. Since September 9, I have been committing myself to prayer, eating (most of the time) only one meal a day, and holding in my heart several requests of concern.
It has been an incredible experience in that the energies of my attention have been mostly focused on God; the gaze of my soul has gone gladly God-ward.
As I was beginning this process, a friend asked if I had read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Several friends had mentioned this title to me but I hadn’t as yet picked up a copy. “Oh, I’m done,” she said. “You can borrow mine.”
So into my 30-day prayer pact was dropped this work written by a woman recording her personal journey (beginning with the challenge to write out a list of 1000 gifts God had given to her). In that effort she describes how to live “Eucharistically.” Eucharist means thanksgiving, but the writer employed this thought by thanking God for what He was doing in her life while she was in the midst of chaos or disappointment or anxiety. She learned to give thanks when she couldn’t see what God was doing. This spiritual practice and the daily listing that eventually recorded her 1000 gifts radically changed her viewpoints.
For some 38 years, I have kept a prayer journal, which includes a list of the ways I have seen God working in my life daily and that always becomes a vehicle for specific expressions of thanksgiving. Because of these practices, I that I have become a grateful person. But praying eucharistically, in the midst of dilemma, not after the fact once goodness has shown itself, has not been so highly developed in me. Since experience has taught me that fasting (even a partial fast)—and a concerned prayer effort, to boot—is certain to set off negative spiritual resistance, I decided to practice thanking God in the middle of the muddle.
When I missed my airplane to Modesto, California (or thought I did), I gave thanks for what God was doing through this minor perplexity, and I discovered the cheap and efficient BART system.
This has not been a perfect 30-day prayer pact, but a note in my journal from the Psalms has reminded me again and again to head back into the intent of concentrated prayer even when I’ve had a day when I’ve given less than my best. “My vows to thee I must perform, O God; I will render thank offerings to Thee.” —Psalm 56:12.
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.