“Where could I go from your Spirit? Where could I run and hide from your face? If I go up to heaven, you’re there! If I go down to the realm of the dead, you’re there too! If I fly with wings into the shining dawn, you’re there! If I fly into the radiant sunset, you’re there waiting!” Psalms 139:7-9 TPT
Last year I went camping with a friend. We set up camp in the familiar spot near the curve in a river and surrounded by trees. It didn’t take long to fall asleep to the sound of the water flowing through the bend and the light breeze blowing through the trees as the night grew dark and the stars came out.
Suddenly, there was a loud thud right outside of the tent, waking my friend and I up to an immediate fight or flight state.
My heart was pounding as I was trying to listen in to every sound that I could hear …
But I realized that I hadn’t listened closely enough before to know which noises were the normal sounds of the night. I couldn’t tell which noises were new. Was I hearing the flowing river, the trees rustling, pinecones falling and insects chirping or were those the sounds accompanying the bear that had immediately entered my imagination.
One thing is for sure; I was hearing every noise twice as loud as I had heard any before falling asleep. The loud, startling thud tuned me into all of the small, calming sounds of the night.
I think that we are many times like this with God. It takes a loud, thud in our lives to tune us into the still small voice of the Lord.
Have you heard the testimonies of people that hit rock bottom before turning to the Lord? I would consider that a loud thud. But what about the more frequent thuds? The death of a loved one? Job loss? A house fire? A diagnosis? Those are thuds too!
How about someone that has been cured of a cancer with a poor prognosis? A new job? Marriage? Entrance into a new season of life? The thud may have a little happier of a pitch than the one who has hit rock bottom, but I would also consider these some loud thuds in life too!
And so many times, these are the events that point us back to Jesus. These are the moments that tune us into the Lord, whether we are seeking Him for the first time or had wandered from our pursuit of Him. These are the times when we are desperate and weak, in need of His strength, or elated and joy filled, excited to praise Him.
What has really captured my attention in thinking about all of this is that though it is the loud thud that often turns our ear, the smaller, consistent noises were present before, during, and after the thud. It is our awareness that changes.
God is as present yesterday and today as He will be tomorrow and in the days to come. His hand is in every detail of every minute; every detail of YOUR every minute. His still small voice is weaved into every day.
The thuds of life will come, but when you walk in the awareness of the presence of the Lord, you won’t feel as though you have been startled in the dark of the night. You will feel surrounded and secure. You will be familiar with the Voice that has gone before and will follow behind you. You will walk forward in the confidence of the Lord.
Tune into the Lord today. Don’t wait for the loud thud of life to wake you from your sleep.
Lord, open my eyes to your works and my ears to your voice. Help me to see you in every detail of my everyday. Grow my awareness of you today, so that I am not startled by the big thuds of this life when they come. I know that you are here, Lord. Your presence surrounds me.
