Is God there, in this gorgeous cathedral with stained glass?
Is He in the lighting of the candles?
In the kissing of the icons?
In the silent promenades through the catacombs of saints?
I ask because since we’ve been in Eastern Europe, we’ve visited a lot of cathedrals.
And I just don’t sense God’s presence there.
But, sure, of course He is there.
He is wherever His people are.
That’s what doctrine calls His “omnipresent” quality.
I guess that’s like asking:
Is He in nature? In song? In the warm embrace of a friend?
His presence in those places or moments just seems more obvious to me.
That’s because we all connect to God in different ways.
That’s the beauty of our unique design and
the joy of the personal relationship He wants to have with each of us.
It’s important that we figure out how best we connect to Him so that we can do it often.
And, sometimes, when our preferred style is not available, we need to be intentional about seeking Him in another way. That variety adds excitement to any relationship!
Writer Gary Thomas has identified nine “Sacred Pathways” which he explains in his book by the same name. He says that people connect to God via:
nature, senses, traditions, or ascetics,
and people are:
activists, caregivers, enthusiasts, contemplatives, or intellectuals.
(Sometimes these are referred to by slightly different categories.)
While I can appreciate each of those pathways and want to experience all that God has for me,
I am definitely an “intellectual” who needs to “contemplate,” preferably in “nature.”
(the photos are of me in Uganda preparing for Bible Study and in Kenya under a fig tree on the coast of Lake Victoria!)
Give me a book to read and study, and I’m
all set. I love to take notes of information, journal my thoughts,
compare them to other things I have learned, possibly discuss them with
someone, or simply pray about them as I take a walk or sit and gaze out
on His creation. That’s how I get filled up and receive insight.
all set. I love to take notes of information, journal my thoughts,
compare them to other things I have learned, possibly discuss them with
someone, or simply pray about them as I take a walk or sit and gaze out
on His creation. That’s how I get filled up and receive insight.
That’s me.
Maybe you’ve noticed some of that about me in the way I write these blog posts. I actually have to restrain myself sometimes from simply typing up quotes and outlines from my studies – things that fascinate me and that I think everyone should know!
But that might bore you, or confuse you, or just plain drive you crazy if you thought that that‘s what you had to do to connect with God.
“How can you be so different from me?!” I often wonder, as I consider my teammates’ interests, passions, love languages, gifts, etc. It’s sometimes frustrating, but it’s also beautiful and amazing! That’s why the Bible calls us a Body of many parts.
One of my teammates cracked me up when he stoically confessed to us one evening after a worship service, “Singing just doesn’t turn me on.”
Okay.
What does turn you on?
Once you figure it out, do it! Get turned on to God. Only He can satisfy.
Try different pathways too – sing, pick up a book, visit a cathedral, support a cause, etc.
Believe me – believe His Word that says – God is turned on by everything about you, and
He is delighted by everything you do to seek Him!
