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:
 
 
 
One of the joys of my life is bartering competencies. A friend gives me a couple hours of help with the delayed projects in my life, and I gladly exchange that I have to give—a hard earned spiritual wisdom that has developed through fifty-some years of ministry that has stimulated an intentional growth walk with the Lord.

Since the place I feel neglect the most in my life is in the area of material repair, I am always deeply touched to have anyone lend me a hand working my way through the pile of “to-do’s”—those projects that seem to elude me and grow in the night, or so it seems.

So before Christmas, my friend stitched up fabric I purchased on sale a couple summers back for the table in the basement over which I tossed that hand-embroidered cloth my Yugoslavian friend gave me, saying, “This is very old.” Both the antique cloth and the contrasting check-skirt looked wonderful for a holiday table.

In return, my helping friend choose books from my spiritual growth library, which I need to make sure we discuss when she is done and brings them back.

This Christmas, the grandchildren filled each others’ stockings. I pulled three large stockings we had never used out of the storage box; they were great for three of the five children (stocking stuffers seem to grow bigger by the year), but I decided we needed two more oversize stockings for the coming Christmas season of 2012. A drawer in the guest bedroom holds fabric I’ve purchased just because I like it and can’t resist the bargain table. One pattern in particular felt like a good contrast to the three I had purchased. My friend took that to make us two more large Christmas stockings, and I guided her to the section on spiritual direction in my library where she could seek some answers to questions she raised on that topic.

Now that I think about it, I am certain that I am receiving more in this barter than I am giving and need to make sure that this exchange of competencies is even, that our spiritual dialogue is as valuable to my friend as her practical kindnesses are to me.

However, this all makes me think that much of life is a matter of giving to one another out of our strengths and receiving from one another for our weaknesses. Every local church needs to set up an exchange where the body can barter competencies—except with God. His strength is always there for us. As far as bartering competencies is concerned, with God it is always a matter of us being on the receiving end.

“O Lord, my strength and my stronghold,
My refuge in the day of trouble,
To thee shall the nations come
From the ends of the earth…” (Jeremiah 16:19)

And in this exchange of our weakness for His strength, we become acquainted with His mercy. “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

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 microfinance 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. The 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.
 
 
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