And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
There are times when my main goal as I head for the outdoors is to do what this verse says. I struggle with concentrating on one thing for long periods of time, but by His grace I can sometimes come close to searching for Him with all I’ve got. When I toss my own agenda for the day and stay focused on seeking Him, amazing things can happen.
A few years ago, Star the ever alert Wonderdog and I were sitting beside a river enjoying a magnificent sunny day in the mountains. I had spent a large part of the morning praying and reading Scripture and seeking the Lord.
The temperature was about 75 degrees as a gentle breeze swirled through some massive cedar trees that surrounded us. A constant rush of water from rapids on our right provided background as I played Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee on my guitar. It was then that I thought I heard the cadence of footsteps in the water. I stopped playing and listened. Sure enough, I could catch little snippets of splashing and plodding in the river.
I shot a quick glace upstream where the river took a sharp bend out of sight just above the rapids. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Then I looked to our left and saw something a long ways off. Something large and dark was moving up the river toward us, the sound of its feet waning and growing as it was carried by the wind.
For once I hadn’t left my camera in the truck. I mashed the “on” button, and it seemed to take about eight days to turn on. The young bull moose approached in a hurry, turning his head to either side as he continued trotting toward us, his ears and eyes gathering as much information as they could.
Had Star not stood up, I think the moose might have passed within just a few feet of us. As it was, Star eventually jumped to her feet and let out a startled woof. The moose stopped and looked at us from perhaps thirty yards away. Except for the constant rush of the rapids, everything else seemed to stand still, and I’m not sure if I remembered to breathe.
After some time the moose spun around and ran a short distance away. He then stopped and stared at us again. After surveying us a while longer, he trotted out of the river and went up the mountain across from where we sat.
“Wow God, what an extra bonus for an already perfect setting. Thank You very, very much.”
We watched as the moose slowly disappeared into the brush and timber. After his initial surprise, he acted as if he knew we were no threat to him.
Star looked over her shoulder at me, her hackles starting to come down, as if to say “I guess I took care of that danger, didn’t I?” Though it was difficult for me to tell, Star’s concern may have been as much to protect her num-nums as to guard me, but I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.
Seek the Lord with all your heart. I encourage you to give that a try and see what happens. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
Hope you have a great day.