I think it’s important to be aware of when and where and how we hear God. It helps us to know how to pursue Him. I’m not saying to put God in a box and say “He only communicates with me when/through…” But, I think it’s important to know how God is speaking to you in the season you’re in.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve realized that God is speaking to me through nature in this season. I’ve always known that I see God in nature, that I feel His presence and peace when I’m in nature, but recently He has begun to speak to me through nature. Nature is pretty neat. I think it’s a beautiful practice, as brothers and sisters, to share our “God moments” with each other. You never know who needs to hear the nugget of truth God just shared with you.
At the end of our month in Thailand, our squad came together and leadership from the states flew out for debrief. Debriefs happen month one, month four, month seven, and there is a final debrief at the end of month eleven. It’s a time to connect with each other and connect with the Father. We worship together and play together. On one of our last days there, we spent the day island hopping around the coast of Phuket. It was one of those days where every twenty minutes, you have to pinch yourself to make sure you aren’t dreaming. It was a surreal day spent in the breath-taking beauty of God’s handiwork.
On the hour-long boat ride back to the mainland, I was in the back of the boat, facing backwards. The engines were so loud that I got to just belt out songs of praise to our God as I watched the islands shrink in the distance. I was totally in my own head space with the Father, just soaking in His love. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the beauty I had experienced that day and the beauty I was still staring at.
I turned around and noticed everyone was standing on their seats trying to get a view of the sunset ahead. I joined them and was in utter amazement of the beauty of the color-changing sky. It was another moment that day where I pinched myself. As I stood in awe of the beauty the sun was painting, I turned back around to look at the shrinking islands I had been fixated on before. I was taken back by how boring the view was in-light of the sunset ahead. Until I looked at the sunset, I hadn’t realized that what I previously thought was amazing was actually pretty bleak in comparison.
Then, God hit me with some truth… In life, I’m often fixated on the past, the glory days. Sometimes, the glory days feel like five years ago and sometimes it feels like last week was the best week of my life, either way, it pales in comparison to what the Father has in store for me. When I look up and look to the Son, everything else pales in comparison. He has so much more beauty in front of and ahead of us than what we could ever comprehend. God said “Julia stop looking at what’s behind you. I have so much more in front of you.”
Fast forward two weeks to Malaysia. Our house has a roof with the most stunning view. We’re living in a town carved out of the jungle, surrounded by mountains. Every evening, I lay on the roof and hang out with God as night sets in. One of those evenings, I was looking at a mountain that was off in the distance. It was farther away than the other mountains, but it looked so beautiful. In my head, I could imagine myself on top of the mountain looking out over the town, watching the sunset.
In my imagination, it was easy to just “poof” myself up there. But, then I began to think about if I were to physically stand up and start walking toward that mountain. It would be a death-defying journey. I would walk for days, cross treacherous rivers, climb many mountains, and cross paths with innumerable snakes.
In Thailand, I prayed a bold prayer: “Father, I want more freedom. I want more of you.” A beautiful prayer, right? But, what about the journey to those places? I often pray things like this and in my head, I just “poof” myself there. But, the journey is required. If God just “poofed” and gave me more freedom, would I really walk in it? The journey and process play a vital role in appreciating where you are.
I pray to be taken to this beautiful mountain and then, when it’s time to get up and start walking, I lose sight of the mountain. The journey to freedom leads through brokenness to dependence on the Lord. If I want more of God in my life, I have to allow Him to remove some of the things that don’t belong, so He can replace them with His love and peace.
I’m in the middle of a tough journey right now and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the process. But, that evening on the roof with God, He gave me the reminder I needed. He said “stop. Take a deep breath. Look at that mountain. That’s where I’m taking you. Rest, and when you’re ready, get up and start walking again. I’m with you. I’m for you. Let’s go, together.”
Watch this video to understand the title (it’s pretty great):
