Startled by God!

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Cindy sucked in her breath and exclaimed “Do you see that?!” Startled by her reaction, I glanced around in a panic. We were approaching a busy intersection and I fully expected to see another vehicle about to hit us.

I followed Cindy’s finger as she excitedly pointed out the window. Thankfully, I discovered that her startled look came not from an oncoming vehicle, but rather from a beautiful rainbow that God had painted across the sky in front of us. “Look!” she called out to Gabriel in the back seat. “Look what God put in the sky for us to see!” Startled by the love of God.

As we drove toward home, all eyes and words were on the rainbow. After each turn, Gabriel shifted his position so as not to lose sight of God’s wonderful display of color. Cindy fielded questions about why God put it there and could we touch it. I just soaked up the moment.

Glancing down, I noticed that we were almost out of gas, so I pulled into a service station. By the time my brief task was done, the rainbow was gone. Gabriel was still searching the sky and Cindy was pointing out faint hints of color where the bow had been moments before.

While pulling onto the highway, I looked over my shoulder to see the oncoming traffic. This time it was my turn to be startled. “Cindy! Do you see that?” I said with excitement. Both she and Gabriel strained their necks to look out my side of the car. Just over the horizon was the most brilliant sunset we had ever seen. The sky was on fire with the brilliance of orange and yellow light. Startled again by the love of God.

Devotional

Psalms 14:2 (NKJV) “The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.”

I have always admired God’s approach to creating faith. He shouts at us through a blaze of colors, yet does not force us to acknowledge Him. He paints a stripe across the sky, but does not force us to look up. He inspires wonder in the heart of a child, yet does not force that child to serve Him.

Like a Father who wants to be wanted, God waits just out of sight and amazes us with hints of His presence. For those who want to see Him, He is obviously there. For those who wish to dismiss Him, He is obviously absent. Faith is a choice.

Amazing, isn’t it? The Creator gives the created the freedom to choose. Startled again by the love of God.

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OnOurWayToHeavenThe story above was taken from the book, “A Funny Thing Happened On Our Way to Heaven” by Sonny Childs. In the spirit of those chicken soup books, this collection of 52 short stories is sure to inspire.

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One thought on “Startled by God!”

  1. I love this message. It made me cry as I thought about the wonders God creates for us and me in my self absorbent don’t see all f his wonders, but they are there for those who will look for them. Thank you; my days will be more joyful because of the message you shared!

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