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:
This summer and now this fall, I have been slowly reading through the Psalms. I write out certain verses that strike me, and copy out the ones that are conducive to me memorizing them while I’m gardening. It has been a rich meditation. If I feel that I haven’t truly absorbed one Psalm during my reading, I re-read it the next day when I pick up my Bible again.
I’ve written out Psalm 40:6-10. Consequently, every time I leaf through my prayer journal, continuing to jot down the ways God has answered my prayers (sometimes it takes weeks, even months for those prayers to be answered—but I am always delighted and surprised by the way this loving Heavenly Father acts in my life), I regularly re-read this passage.
“I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; lo, I have not restrained my lips, as thou knowest, O Lord. I have not hidden thy saving help within my heart, I have spoken of thy faithfulness and thy salvation. I have not concealed thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness from the great congregation.”
I wonder to myself each time I leaf through the journal pages: Have I done this enough? My one unfulfilled desire regarding my writing has been to write out the incredible stories of God’s work and the goodness of His people to the world outside the Church, to write about all this in a way they can understand. The press, of course, always headlines the sensational negative, but rarely focuses on the fact that many of the good causes and good deeds that are captured in our newspapers and on the Internet are accomplished because people love God and are obedient to His ways. I often wonder when I read an encouraging tale of valor or of outstanding behavior, “Is this someone whose actions are framed by a faith-based lifestyle?” Often, not always, I discover that these good deeds have been scattered into the world by Christian folk.
Do I do this? Have I not hidden thy saving help in my heart but spoken of God’s faithfulness and salvation? Or have I neglected to find the path to tell the world God’s ways?
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.