“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with you.” Psalm 139:17-18
I have arrived at the place where I have spent the majority of my early life; San Diego California. The Lord took care of me through my travels by giving me rest and a brother in the Lord by the name of Mike to talk to. We had great times of prayer on the airplane together and praised God for how good He is.
I now sit in the presence of the Lord at one of my most favorite places in the world. I stand in Awe at how wonderful our God is and how fortunate I am. I have been blessed with a wonderful family, support for the things that I have been able to do in life and time to sit in awe of God’s creation.
I ponder so many thoughts as I am home about old memories, seeing old friends, the family reunion at the wedding and the future, but if I just stand still for a moment, I see the purpose. I see the purpose of what God is trying to teach me.
I have always been a man that plans, that sets goals and always looks toward the future. Don’t get me wrong before I say this statement because I believe in all of those things and will continue to do them but sometimes they consume me. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in what is coming next that I forget about the now.
Yesterday I sat with my brother and his fiancé who are getting married on Saturday and my parents on each side. My brother and his fiancé were obviously stressed to the max with everything that was going on. I just sat back and smiled. My brother said, “Why are you smiling”. I said because you are getting married this weekend.
Later on in the day the Lord showed me something so important about that moment. If we all just looked at each other and saw what we were doing, that we were together, having lunch with one another as a family, my brother sipping down a cold one, there was not a care in the world. We were together enjoying each others presence yet something inside of us wanted to pull us to worry about the up and coming events. Why?
As I sit here on the beach I see what my Father is trying to teach me. He is trying to teach me to look at the sand that is in front of me. He is trying to tell me that the thoughts that He has for me number more than the billions of particles that are before me. He is trying to tell me that He loves me so much that He wants me to be still and know that He is God. He wants me to see Him in everything that is created on this earth.
Think about it, do we see everything that is created on this planet and see the stamp of the Lord all over it. The surfers that ride the waves before me, do I see Christ in them? The homeless man that passes by and picks up trash on the beach, do I see Christ in him? The wave that crashes amongst the beach, do I see Christ in it?
What I am learning is that Christ is everywhere. We live in the presence of God no matter where we are. Can I feel the presence of God? Can I discern that God is everywhere? Can I sit back and take the blinders that this world has placed upon me and see that He has never left me nor forsaken me and He never will. Can I rest in His presence no matter the situation and know that He is in everything and that God new about them before I was even born. He is saying, “Chad sit in the now and praise me for that.”
“And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” Psalm 139:16
God Bless you!
