Taking Time to Notice God is There

As I sat at the drive-thru at a local bank, my eyes began to scan over what lay in front of me. Colorful red berries on the bushes in the landscaping, cars rushing to and fro, the local Post Office, and a gray, almost colorless sky. Then, a solitary cross on the hilltop at a church caught my eye. I rarely look up as I go about my errands on these country roads near my home, so I had forgotten that the cross was even there. 

As soon as my eyes landed on its commanding presence, so did my heart. For it was then I heard the Lord whisper to my hurried heart, “You forget that I am there too.” Words that brought a little conviction but landed like a healing balm over my hurried and frazzled heart. 

It was property tax time in our county, and I had dreaded the trip for several days, fearing that the journey to the bank or the Treasurer’s Office where I could pay them would result in yet another long line of waiting I felt I didn’t need. It was one more thing in a long list of others that I had expected the worst to happen. I had forgotten that the Lord had promised to go before me into even the long lines and waits of my ordinary days, yet that is precisely what He had done. When I pulled into the bank, there was only one car in front of me at the drive-thru, and there were too many to count as I looked in my rearview mirror.  God favored me even though I had forgotten to ask specifically. 

Thus, here is my confession…

I can’t speak for you, but sometimes I do forget. It is not that I don’t pray every morning, and I spend time in His word.  In the early morning hours, I rush to the Lord’s table for that first manna meal of my day. I have long learned that my quiet time alone with Jesus is where I find peace and strength. Honestly, though, the minute my quiet time ends, I can easily forget that He goes with me even into all the ordinary and mundane things of my life, and if we all are honest, aren’t those the ones that drag us down the most and leave us most often feeling worn out and burned out? 

I constantly pray and plan for the hard stuff in my life but rarely do I give it a thought that He even promised to go with me into the seemingly day-to-day and unimportant areas of my life like long lines, meal prepping, grocery shopping, and even while walking my new puppy who loves to pull on her leash. So many things I had unintentionally been trying to do all by myself that now I realized why I had become so frustrated with them and why my days spent doing them had increasingly become more of a chore than a joy to complete.  

God is not simply the God over the hard stuff but also all the seemingly unimportant everyday stuff as well.  

I was suddenly aware that it was long overdue for this girl to slow down and let that very important truth sink in. 

He doesn’t just show up in the battle to help us hold our swords but also our hearts walking out the everyday moments of our lives. 

He isn’t just there by the dying at the bedside, but He walks beside us as we walk out our doors to pick up our kids from school, sit at that desk doing our jobs, or even walk with us down the grocery store aisles. 

 He isn’t just there when we get the bad news, but He is always present when we get the good news.

Honestly, I had grown accustomed to expecting Him to show up in the hard but forgot to look for Him in all the seemingly unimportant moments that turned out to be where I needed him the most. I needed to be reminded that along every single step of the journey called our life; He goes with us. 

Our Heavenly Father wants to share in all of it, even the stuff that puts dirt under our nails and smudges our mascara. I sat down and began to let it sink in that He wants to do life with us and what that means way down to the bottom of the page to the fine print and tiny details. All of it. And when that truly landed into a heart like mine that had gotten into a rhythm of trying to do all the messy life stuff by herself, it shifted something deep inside my spirit. 

Jesus spoke the words all those years ago, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20 (KJV) Who would have thought they meant even in a drive-thru at your local bank holding back that long line you dreaded so much?  

Yes, we can count on Him to show up in all our messy and complicated times, but what a friend we have in Jesus who stands ever ready to go with us even into our lowly, humdrum, and routine. 

So as you stand ready to tackle what you do every day, whether it be a mom, a wife, a caregiver, or whatever that thing is you do, remember He goes with you, walks beside you, sees you, hears you, and is ready to help make the load of the responsibilities you carry a little lighter. 

Purposely expect Him to stand near even in all your small ordinary moments. 

Look up and take notice. He is there waiting to go with You, walk beside you, and be your constant companion.

 Something I say is well worth taking notice of today indeed. 

See you in the field, 

Susan

Dear Lord,

Thank you for your ever-present presence in my life. You are always with me even when I am unaware or have gotten too busy to notice.  You are there for all of it, even the ordinary, uneventful, and mundane.  And because you are there for those moments, I can trust You and know You will always be with me in the hard ones. You promised to be my help in times of trouble and my closest friend who wants to share in every moment of my day.  Let me take notice that you are always there.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.