I went out to Lake Michigan yesterday and climbed the silent mountains of ice. It was incredible. Summer waves frozen in time and motion. It is so incredible. (You have to see it for yourself!) I crawled all the way out to the second ridge so I could look out over the entire lake. It looked like a giant broken puzzle-the glassy pieces slightly separated from each other.
On top of that mound of ice, probably a hundred or so feet from the bottom and two hundred off shore, I sat there looking out over this incredible sight and, I’ll admit, I pouted a little. I had hoped to reach the edge of this cliff and become broken with some heavy truth or much needed revelation. Anything! Some answer to any of my endless questions but that’s not what I got. Instead, all I could hear was the fragile cracking of the ice below and the soft whisper of the wind free to roam where it pleased. “I’m here God”, I said to myself. “Where are you?”
It was then I realized I had traveled out into this bizarre and breathtaking act of nature and actually wanted more. (Oh, I can be so selfish.) More! I didn’t just want to see God’s power and beauty (which, by the way, is incredible evidence of his presence), I wanted to hear and feel it too! My desire was to be brought to tears of cleansing with some earth shattering awakening bestowed upon me by God! (Again, I am incredibly selfish.) It wasn’t enough to enjoy the massive gift around me.
Quietly, Psalm 23 floated to the front of my mind but only one part…
“I have all that I need…”
Psalm 23:1 (NLT)
Hey conviction! What’s up?
I am in need of nothing. I already have all I need. Amidst the frozen tundra I had all I needed. My Father just wanted to sit with me and dangle His feet over the ice ledge too. No words. Just be with me and i with Him taking in His wonderful creation.
Have you ever been so comfortable with someone that you could sit in silence and feel just as comfortable as if you were sitting home alone? That is what God wants with us. He has this great desire for us to get comfortable with each other and truly know one another without the constraint of words or finite human understanding. It’s so intimate and beautiful. It’s simply stunning that the creator of the entire universe wants to sit quietly with me, smiling at my awe and wonder of the world.
I guess I had my revelation after all. It was on my bed at 7:30am in a tiny apartment with no view but God tends to be funny that way. When you go searching for God, wherever that may be, do you go wanting something you already have? Do you really need anything from the One who has already given it all? Are you seeking the Father just to get something from Him, words of revelation or answers, or are you going to be with Him?
I don’t know about you, but I need to spend my time being with God instead of using Him for a grand demonstration of power.
ToBeKT 