Noticing God
I’ve always wondered why God does not reveal Himself to us more directly, and what I have discovered is that He does, but we tend to take His presence in our lives for granted.
There is a battle going on around us between truth and deceit, and yes, deceit surfaces far too often. We've all experienced something that appeared amazing, only to discover deception in the end. We witness deception in our daily lives through fake online videos, scamming, news stories that include false statements, websites seeking attention more than truth, over zealous marketing that does not deliver on their promises, and mostly, our interaction with other people where we are deceived.
One such event that stands out for me, because I fell for the deceit myself, is the story of the “Balloon Boy Hoax” that occurred on October 15, 2009. A father released his homemade helium gas balloon and claimed that their six year old son was trapped inside. It gained worldwide attention. The balloon reached 7,000 feet and all were concerned for the boy. In the end, it turned out to be a hoax. The father told his son to hide in the attic prior to releasing the balloon. His goal was to gain attention in hopes of having a television show made of the incident.
Because I invested so much genuine concern for the boy inside the balloon and his outcome, I felt betrayed; I felt like a fool.
And with each false story that we experience, our skepticism grows. The sum effect of all our negative experiences has conditioned us to become skeptical of anything too profound; so therefore, our ability to notice God has become greatly corrupted. Even in our personal lives we notice God is working, but we subdue the significance of these events and move along in our lives.
And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.
–Isaiah 11:6-9
It is important for us all to understand that this world is under the influence of all that is evil. And the one who is evil, Satan, rules this world through deception and lies. Satan’s intent is to blind us to God and His presence in our lives. And because we are under the influence of Satan, we subconsciously reject the idea that God, as powerful as He is, is interested in being part of our personal life.
I am here to testify that our God, our wonderful Father, is interested in being part of our personal lives. Our God is a personal God, not a distant God; He is constantly placing His hand on our shoulder to let us know that He is present.
The good news is that for us to notice God does not require more of our time; it only requires us to overcome that which is prohibiting us from noticing Him in the first place. We need to become more aware of our surroundings and what is occurring. We are to turn our attention away from seeking consistent undisputable hope from this world, and instead, place our faith in God by turning our attention to Him. He will not betray us because God is faithful.
I am going to share an experience with you that occurred many years ago. In the past I justified hiding this experience because it was the safe thing for me to do out of fear of what others may think of me; but now I choose to share it more widely. I no longer want to hide who God is. My hope is that by sharing this experience, it will help you understand how God reveals Himself. Each of us who experience God must acknowledge the event so He can shine through to others.
When my two daughters were very young, they wanted to play softball, so they joined a softball team. Their softball team was playing a game at Legion Park, a local park in our hometown of Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. The bleachers that my wife, Jean, and I were sitting on were modest, only a few rows of seats and at most wide enough to seat ten people across. On this particular day it was very nice, sunny, and Jean and I were sitting in the bleachers next to each other watching the two teams play a game of softball. I recall during those times that players were mostly walking around the bases because of poor pitching; there wasn’t much actual softball playing, but that didn’t matter to Jean or me. We were just happy being there and watching our two daughters enjoying themselves.
While I was watching the pitcher begin her pitch, the girl did a revolution of her arm, and as her arm was coming up for the release of the ball, everything changed for me. It was as if I was removed from the bleacher and placed in another dimension of sorts; best described as a place with no physical attributes. When I was in this place, I could visually see the girl, but God placed everything in slow motion. I was able to continue comprehending what was going on with the game. It was as if I became a spectator outside the constraints of time where time was not present. I did not see God, nor did I hear His voice, but God conveyed to me a simple sentence that represented to me a universe of meaning.
His words were, “See everything that I make possible.” The words were more than words, and the words were conveyed without sound. We use a tone in our voice to convey a deeper emotional meaning to accompany the words we speak. On that day, God communicated to me differently than what I would have expected. God communicated to me through the tone of pure love; His way of talking. The way in which God communicated to me, as I discovered later on, was as significant to me as what He revealed to me. God allowed me to notice everything that was taking place for what I normally considered the simple act of a girl pitching a softball.
Prior to this day, these acts I had either never considered or I had taken for granted. The movement of the girl's muscles, the girl’s eyes focused on the home plate, the movement of her arms, her concentration causing her muscles to move, her arm raising, her fingers releasing the ball, the ball spinning in the air, and the arc of the ball as it made its way to home plate.
God allowed me to sense everything that was taking place for a young girl to pitch a softball. It was more than just seeing what was taking place, it was the gift of knowing what was taking place. The experience did not last long. And what I know is this: God can communicate an abundance of information in an instant; God controls time itself for He is outside of time. After the experience ended, I recall looking over at Jean to discover if there was some reaction from her. I was seeking reassurance that I did not just make an embarrassing scene while I was “away”. Jean was still looking forward to the game and I was relieved that I did not make a scene. I remember saying to Jean that I needed to go for a walk. So I stepped down from the bleachers and went for a short walk. It took a few moments for me to compose myself and to absorb what had just happened. One of the gifts I took from this experience was that I said to myself, “If I ever doubt there is a God, I need to remind myself of this day!” I am still reassured by God to this day through His subtle acts.
What is important for us all to understand is these subtle handiworks of God are occurring around us all the time; they're right in front of us. These acts include the infinite amount of events that had to come together for a young girl to pitch a softball on that particular day. From the movement of her eyes, hands, gravity, air, muscles, concentration, the spinning of the earth, and the almost infinite amount of things that played a role in making it possible for a young girl to pitch a softball!
Think of it, think of the infinite things that have come together from the beginning of time, the beginning of the universe, the formation of the earth, to your parents meeting each other, all of these, and many other things, had to first take place before you could be where you are today. What a whole set of miracles!
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
–Psalm 19:1
God reveals Himself to us everyday through His handiwork of creation and purpose. He reveals Himself through a small girl pitching a softball. There are enormous signs that God does indeed exist and all we need to do is resist the temptation to turn these miracles into random acts; impersonal acts of nature.
We need to open our eyes and consider all the events that have occurred from the beginning of time that have joined together to form our universe. We need to discover that within this universe, we were made with great purpose. I assure you, creation of the universe is not an accident; you are not the result of the randomness of the universe. I do not believe God preplans everything we do, but I do believe He provides for us out of love. He guides the universe, the planets, the creation of the earth, the wind, weather, rain, lightning, and you, yes you, as a pure gift as a reflection of His ability to create and love abundantly.
We are to turn away our doubt and instead acknowledge His presence by speaking to Him and thanking Him. By doing so, you will begin to understand who He is and you will begin to know why He makes Himself known the way He does.
The next time you are walking through the woods, take careful notice of the trees, animals, wind, and plants and how they interact with each other. The next time you are watching a football player, closely notice all the actions necessary that make it possible for the football player to run. The next time you are at a concert, notice everything that is taking place to allow sound to be created by a musician as they move their fingers over the strings of an instrument. Just slow down and take notice of everything that is coming together to form this one event for this one small slice of time. And then ask yourself if these actions are made possible out of randomness of the universe or out of purpose by some higher authority. When you begin to more closely notice these things, you will notice God. You will acknowledge His presence, give thanks to Him, and accept His gift of creation. When you learn how to do this on a daily basis, then you will begin to open a small window into Heaven and through this you will find your daily encouragement. God’s greatest gifts are His creations, His creations are His signs that He is in control and they signify the promise to us that He is present.
Let us pray.
Dear Father God,
We take for granted everything that has been made possible by you that allows us to exist. We’re like a small child that is showered with gifts; we eventually take your gifts of creation for granted.
But help us to open our eyes to see you working in our daily lives. And when you do something for us at an individual level that only we notice, let us not turn away from your hand, and instead, embrace it.
In your son’s name, Jesus, we pray.
Amen
