The school year has finally ended and now we have nothing but time on our hands. Most of us plan to have a fun-filled summer making memories with friends and family, going to the beach, catching up on some much-needed sleep, reading for fun and enjoying countless other activities that will pack the glorious months that await us. In the midst of the anticipation of finally relaxing after a long academic year, it is important to remember that we still need to make good use of our time. Maybe it was difficult to read a few verses of scripture during a hectic school week or to take a few minutes on the weekends to talk to God with no distractions, waiting in silence to hear His voice and for Him to minister to our spirits. Well it is not too late!
Exodus 20:5 reads, “For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.” Now that we have more time on our hands, let us challenge ourselves to give some of it back to Him. More than anything else, the Lord desires to have a relationship with us. He created us for that purpose; but in order to have a strong relationship we have to communicate. Our God is so awesome, because He is always speaking; the question is, are we listening?
We learn a vital lesson through the life of Elijah the prophet in I Kings 19:11-12. The scripture reads, “And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, a still small voice.” We serve a God who holds the entire world in the palm of His hand, a God that never sleeps, a God who is the same yesterday, today and forever; yet, as big as He is, He can speak to us and give us His full and undivided attention. His voice does not have to be booming for us to hear it; we just have to listen closely. I can feel the Lord’s presence throughout my day. On days when the warm rays of the sun beam on my skin, I think of it as God smiling down on me. I imagine the soft breezes that brush against my cheeks and make the trees dance as whispers from Him that say, “I love you;” and, whenever I see a butterfly fluttering past me, it reminds me of how important I am to Him, because He took the time to remember that butterflies make me smile.
God is everywhere at once, just waiting for us to seek after Him. Like Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” This summer, let us challenge ourselves to find God somewhere in our day, and apply this scripture to our lives, because I suspect that we will discover that God is and always will be our greatest delight.
Copyright ©2012 by Ariel E. Gaskill
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