Has God gotten your attention lately? Has He stopped you in your tracks and made you undeniably aware of His presence?
I’m sure, I sometimes miss out on moments like these because I allow myself to stay so busy and distracted. I guess that’s one reason I get really excited when God abruptly interrupts my day to share an Aha! moment with me.
A few weeks back, I attended a retreat with a team of successful Christian women leaders. The plan was to take time out of our busy schedules to share updates on our ministries, discuss our hopes, dreams, and challenges, and to just have some fun. On our first day, together, we began it with breakfast, prayer, praise and time of worship.
But, what started out as a fun-filled, busy – yet inspirational day, turned into an opportunity for me to slow down and experience an Aha! moment with God.
During our first break, I ran to my room to return a few emails and make a few calls before rejoining the group. The plan was to meet back up for a tour of the beautiful farm where we were staying. While making my calls, I looked out the window to see if anyone was gathering for the tour. Several friends were swinging in a swing by the lake, but most of the ladies were still not there, so I took time for one last call then grabbed my jacket and ran out the door.
Just then I realized, somehow, I had just missed the tour! Okay –– what now? –– I thought.
Not knowing what else to do, I headed down to the lake, where I had just seen my friends. I sat in the swing and began to take in the moment. It was so nice to just sit still, to take a deep breath and soak up the sunshine. I decided to open my Bible App to finish my reading for the week in the book of Romans. But, when my E-Bible opened up, it opened to Ephesians 4:22-23, and immediately caught my eye.
You see, earlier that morning I had allowed Satan to discourage me by interjecting thoughts of my past pitfalls and failures. But God, in His abundant mercy and grace, took that quiet moment on the swing by the lake to encourage me, once and for all to “lay aside (my) old self.., be renewed in the spirit of (my) mind and put on (my) new self which is in the likeness of God.” Boy did I need to hear just that, at just that very moment in time!
Do you need a word from God, a moment in His presence? We all do, constantly, in order to courageously face the many challenges we encounter in our everyday lives and culture. While Aha! moments are wonderful, we don’t have to wait for God to get our attention, instead, we are called to seek him continually.
Begin each day with a consistent quiet time with God and join me in also being more aware of His faithfulness and presence.
“But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.”
Deuteronomy 4:29 (NLT)
What was your last Aha! moment with God? I’d love to hear all about it!
