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:
I don’t have many days when I have a compulsion to spend a whole morning ordering, but yesterday I was waiting for a new refrigerator to be delivered (unplanned expense). Plus, it was the fourth day of a head cold, and in between draughts of Nyquil and Dayquil, I began to suspect that I was dragging.
My writing study at home is across the hall from our bedroom. The computer desk faces the window, where the warm southern sunshine fills the room on cold winter days. I bought an opaque shade that screens out the sun, blocks out most of the view, and when I am actually writing, cuts the glare on the computer screen.
Yesterday, however, a gorgeous but appropriately cool day for October, the sun felt comforting, so I sat at my desk and ordered my financial records. Business expenses were filed, I wrote out a check to pay down the SEARS credit card. I tossed old bank-deposit notices. Reminder notes were re-read and some discarded. I straightened books, added to the writing pile of the most recent project, worked on my desk calendar, called tradesmen who are still making repairs after the derecho that hit our area on June 29.
It was, somehow, an exceedingly satisfactory day. Ordering, when I let myself get to it, is such a soothing occupation.
I wondered if this is the way God feels when we let Him help us order our hapless lives. I wonder if part of being made in God’s image is a genetic predisposition to design, stack, store, label, discard. I wonder if He feels the same satisfaction that I feel when I spend a morning putting things to right (or perhaps do I feel the same satisfaction that He feels when time is given to making my days less chaotic)?
At any rate, the refrigerator guys came, took off my back door, hauled away the broken fridge (with straps on their backs balancing the heavy appliance), moved in the brand-new refrigerator—which looks surprisingly very much like the old one. They adjusted the door so that it would swing open from right to left, told me there was a connection for the ice-maker but that I would have to have a plumber come and attach it.
I promised to give them a really good rating when the robo-phone from Lowe’s called to conduct an automated survey as to their appliance-installing courtesy, appointment phone calls, attitude and competency. And I did—I gave them all 5s on the 5-point scale. After all, I couldn’t have taken off the back door, hauled away the old refrigerator, installed the new one, advised me about the waterline to the basement, or changed the door to swing open from the right. Good job, fellows! You deserve a 5.
Then after spending the whole morning sitting in the sun and ordering my desk, I spent the afternoon putting all the food that needed refrigeration back onto the new shelves. Fortunately, I had held onto the egg-keeper tray from my old Kenmore; the Whirlpool didn’t have such a device. Two garbage bags of spoiled food had already been dumped into trash bins so everything behind the right-swinging doors looked neat, unspoiled and tidy.
I had spent my whole day ordering. It was altogether a satisfactory and soothing occupation. I wonder why I don’t do it more. I wonder particularly why not when I realize that I feel as though Someone has been working beside me in this Ordering Day—Someone who is a better smoother and filer and prioritizer and discarder and orderer than I will ever be.
“Behold, God is my helper;
The Lord is the upholder of my life.”
Psalm 54:4-5
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.