“Look, there’s one!” My daughter pointed and screamed with excitement.
We were on vacation hunting for ghost crabs. Clearly, we weren’t beach goers, because we had no idea this was a thing. If you are clueless about this like I was, here are a few facts I learned: Ghost crabs live on the beach, burrowing deep into the sand (up to 4’) for protection from the sun and predators. They are a pale, sandy color and average 2-4” wide. You most likely will never see them unless you go out to the beach at night with a flashlight, specifically looking for them.
Looking for crabs quickly became the favorite part of the trip, but we would’ve never known to do this if a friend hadn’t told me. We could’ve just walked along the beach, built sandcastles and played in the ocean- completely clueless that there were thousands of crabs directly below us.
We would’ve missed out on the greatest adventure!
Isn’t this happening all the time with people who don’t know about the love of Jesus? Missing out on the greatest adventure? They are walking around completely unaware of the Holy Spirit and that there is a God who loves them.
And what about those of us who know about Jesus, but have never experienced his presence or “felt” his nearness? Sometimes we think we are the ones that need to create his presence by our efforts. Maybe if we pray harder, do all the right things we will feel him. In reality, God is already present, we just need to be aware that he is there.
In the Bible, Elijah is running for his life and after coming to a cave in 1 Kings 19:11-12 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the Earthquake. After the Earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
God was in the whisper.
C.S Lewis said “We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with him. He walks everywhere incognito. And the incognito is not always hard to penetrate. The real labor is to remember, to attend. In fact, to come awake. Still more, to remain awake.”
The only way we could see the ghost crab was if the flashlight was shining directly on it. You had to be alert, paying attention- otherwise, you’d miss it.
If you are struggling to feel God’s presence start by asking these questions every week:
- What hinders me from paying attention to the Holy Spirit?
- What helps me pay attention to the Holy Spirit?
And finally, who in your life is walking through this life, missing out on the greatest adventure? Who can you tell about the gospel of Jesus? Praying you can take a step to share your faith this week and that you would feel him near.
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