I was recently out for a walk when I felt the nudge to stop and take a seat at a bench next to our pond. I resisted and continued with my walk. I was trying to get in my steps for the day. It had rained for an entire week and when it finally stopped, I felt a deep need to move. When I came back by the bench, I felt the nudge again. This time I stopped. A light breeze swept gently across the water as I soaked in the stillness and caught my breath.
It wasn’t long before I saw a big fish breaking the surface on the other side of the pond. A few minutes later, I saw some minnows swimming near the edge. I heard frogs croaking and then I saw a turtle poke its head head up out of the water.
As I sat there, it occurred to me that when I rushed by a few minutes earlier and resisted the nudge to stop, the pond looked completely still. It wasn’t until I took the time to be still and observe, that I saw just a few of the many types of life that it nurtures. I know there are different kinds of turtles and fish in the pond, but I don’t often see them.
In fact, most of the work of living that goes on beneath the surface, is never seen by human eyes, yet I never question its existence.
The lesson was not lost on me. There are times on our faith journey when we wonder where God is. Why is He not answering our prayers? Why is He allowing continued suffering? Is He even listening?
While we may not get the answers to all of our questions on this side of eternity. We can rest assured that He is always listening, always close and always working. If we need a reminder, we can follow the gentle nudge from the Spirit that encourages us to be still, pray, and read His Word. The Bible tells us repeatedly not to be afraid, to be at peace and to be still and know that God is in control.
If we know in our hearts that He is writing our story, then we have to know He is always working, even when we can’t see Him. A visit to a pond reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂