
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35
I wasn’t sure what the exact message from this image was going to be, but I knew it was meant to be captured, pondered and meditated on. It has been life-giving to begin finding God not just in circumstances and in words, but in my every day surroundings.
Seeing these two beautiful butterflies sipping the tiny bit of water they could find on a scorching day, by our trash on the street, created such a grand contrast. Maybe it’s from my ministry and work at the church combined with having two teenage children, but things in this world seem so messy, complicated and challenging. Sometimes, I think we can become so overwhelmed with the mess we face that the burden seems as if it might break us.
It can feel lonely, as if we are the only ones facing the giants of the day. We can lose the sense that God is even with us and the noise of worry, busyness, fear and isolation overtakes His tender and gentle presence. I think if we are honest, we will even admit that we sometimes think He has stopped talking to us.
I have certainly expressed the desire for God to speak to me the same way He did in the Old Testament. “I might be able to discern what to do faster if He would speak to me from a burning bush (Exodus 3), float around before me everyday as a cloud so I would know which way He wanted me to go (Numbers 14), send a dove (Genesis 8), speak from the clouds (Matthew 3:17), send some angels (all through the Bible), or prophets like Zechariah.” I would say exasperated.
But God hasn’t stopped speaking to us. He has proven that to me over the past several weeks in my exercise to seek Him in the world around me . . . His world. I think our hearts and minds have gotten more cluttered and we don’t find the time to sit quietly and seek Him.
It’s us that have changed . . . Not God!
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8 (HSB)
As I’ve taken more time to be alone with God outside I’ve found His pulse running through everything. When we seek Him, His gentle nudges become clearer, we sense His heart beating within our own pulling ours closer to Him, and His still small voice becomes one that we desire to hear above any other.
There are days my heart and soul feel as dry and thirsty as these two butterflies. Days I’m seeking His living water wherever I can possibly find it because I feel lost in a dry and weary landscape. And if I stop, slow down and linger, there He is . . . In a song, a sunset, scripture on my wall, the smile of a stranger, a quick prayer lifted up in carpool or the tears of a friend grieving their child’s mistakes.
God is with us! He has not left us. He is still speaking to us. God doesn’t need the hearing aids, we do.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6