FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
GOD OF THE BIG AND SMALL
Just this week, I got back from a vacation in Rangeley, Maine. My wife, my three-year old daughter Kayla, and my one-year old son Jacob, spent five days in a cabin on a lake, and let me tell you, if there’s anywhere best to have a good quiet time with God, it’s in Maine at a cabin on a lake. I took full advantage of the opportunity every morning to get up before the wife and kids, just before the sun, and find a spot on the water’s edge and sit in silence with the Lord. I say full advantage, because in normal life, with two small kids, that time of silence with the Lord is a luxury I don’t often get. But when you’re out in nature, surrounded by mountains, trees, and water, the mystery and majesty of God feel a little bit more tangible. As I sat by the water’s edge, I read 1 Kings 19:11-13:
“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” 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.”
The passage resonated with me then, as the sun rose above the horizon and all was silent except for the distant calls of loons on the water. God, the creator of the Heavens and the Earth, the Infinite, All-Powerful Almighty God, can sometimes choose to show up as the still small voice, and if your world is too loud, too chaotic, too full of noise, you run the risk of not hearing it. That’s what makes your daily appointment with God so important. It’s setting aside time, time you’re not going to naturally get, to sit still and listen for what God is saying to you that day.
Toward the end of our trip, my wife was determined to help me see a moose in the wild. She was born and raised in Vermont, and “moose-spotting” was a common activity for her. When she found out I had never actually seen a moose in real life before, she said “that’s it, at dusk, everyone in the car!” We found a 15-mile section of road dubbed “Moose Alley,” because of the frequency of moose sightings and the perfect combination of terrain conditions to spot a moose. Of course my wife was telling me all about moose behavior and preferences along our drive – is this all they teach in Vermont public schools? As I drove, I scoured the tree line for moose. My eyes raked the wild grass for a sign of them. Really it felt very improbable that we’d come across one to me. How am I going to spot a moose while driving down the road? Maybe if we stopped, got out, had binoculars, really looked close through the trees, and got really, really lucky. Fifteen miles down “Moose Alley” and nothing, so we turned around and headed back to the cabin. We weren’t two minutes down the road when BOOM…a moose!
I was shocked. This thing was bigger than my car! I had no idea this was what I had been looking for. I had been unconsciously eyeing the forest floor as if I were looking for a fox or a bear. This thing was massive and I needed to be looking UP! When the moose showed up, there was no missing the moose.
Later, as I reflected on this, again on a rock at the edge of the lake, I thought about how much bigger God is than we expect Him to be. We pray small prayers, asking a small God to do a small thing. It brought to mind Ephesians 3:20:
“Now to Him who is able to do so much more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
When I went searching for moose, I found it, and it was much bigger than I expected. When we go searching for God, we’ll find Him too, and I think you’ll find that God is also much bigger than we expected. “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh, is there anything too difficult for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27) Do you have a big problem in your life? An insurmountable obstacle? A challenge you haven’t been able to handle? Remember that your Father can do more than all we ask or imagine, and He’s ready to listen to you.
So my trip to Maine was a huge success. The kids handled the long travel day back home like true champs, and we’re all back to our normal routine again, but this morning the lessons I was reminded of in Maine are still with me…that our God is a God of the still, small voice, and the God that is even bigger than we can imagine.
Try your best to carve out time to sit with God this week. You won’t regret it.
-Zach Swee
