What does it feel so hard to find God in the middle of working? It’s almost like we know he is there in the beginning and we know he is there at the end but what about all the time in between? I was praying about this the other week because I was feeling as if I was just going through my days and not really connecting with God. I know that our Father wants to be there in everything we do and I was asking him for help in this area.
During this particular prayer I felt God asking me another question. It wasn’t anything extravagant, he simply asked,” see if you can find me while you’re working”. There it was, my new mission. Now this mission fell at an interesting time. Here in Florida we have these little things called hurricanes and Hurricane Debbie was almost on top of us. Hurricanes themselves have never really bothered me as far as the storm goes but waiting for them is like getting stalked by a turtle and the aftermath usually leaves us with quite a mess to clean up. I figured this was the perfect opportunity to begin my search for God amidst all the work Debbie had left us.
After the storm left, the work began. As we assessed the damage, there were trees down, fences broken, debris all around, and no power. As the work began I started my search. As I was cutting up the trees I would notice how beautiful the trees were. One tree in particular was kind of ugly on the outside but had the most beautiful wood on the inside with streaks of red running throughout. I thought to myself maybe God was in the beauty of everything, but I continued my search. After the trees came the debris, in the area we live there is no lack of trees and every tree left us plenty of limbs to pick up. My son was helping me (he’s 5) with this chore. I enjoyed his company and the life lessons that might get imparted onto him. Although his participation was short lived I was still on my search. Perhaps God was in these precious moments that we got to share? My search pressed on. As we finished up the limbs next came the leaves. We fired up the mower and started making the rounds. One thing after a storm is that wildlife always seems to be more active and as I was mowing there was no lack of activity. Every pass with the mower was filled with beautiful butterflies, grasshoppers, and other creatures. Each so unique I was in awe of our creator. I thought, Eureka! I have found God!” but yet again this wasn’t the lesson he was trying to show me. So where was he???
As the mowing continued I began to pray about these experiences and the question God had posed. God brought me to a verse that is very well known but its application is not as wide spread and I myself had read over it many times without taking its meaning into consideration. Matthew 7:7 “… seek and you will find…”. There it was, God’s promise to all of us. Jesus told us that if we seek God we will find him. I instantly knew this was the lesson God wanted me to learn. God was not in one of those moments during the day, he was in all of them. He was there in everything I was doing but it was up to me to seek him in those moments.
Sometimes it is easier said than done and even after this lesson I still have to remind myself while working to “find God” in these moments. 1 Kings has the story of Elijah after his triumphant victory over the false prophets of the fake god Baal and he is fleeing for his life, then God brings him to Mt. Sinai where a mighty windstorm, an earthquake, and a fire are all present but God was not in any of those. He showed himself to Elijah in a small whisper as if to say I am right here with you. God is always right there with us and I hope this article helps you too if you find yourself in the same struggle as I had.
