Eyes to See Him Move

Our family attended our first 4D movie, The Polar Express, just days before Christmas. While our 3D glasses made everything pop off the screen, the moving seats, falling snow, and smell of hot chocolate took the experience to a whole new level.

My three-year-old, however, refused to wear the glasses. As much as his daddy coaxed him to put them on, he stubbornly resisted. As a result, everything on the screen was a blur to him.

He felt ice spray onto his face, but could not see the train skid across the frozen lake. He saw snow flakes fall from the ceiling, but could not see the wintery scene the flakes were meant to enhance.

At the time we simply laughed and shrugged our shoulders. This was the type of behavior we’d come to expect from our strong willed child who was asserting his independence more by the day. But the more I thought about his reaction, the more I realized how often I take a similar approach toward God.

I say I want to see God’s will for my life, but my prayers are rushed and scattered in small snippets of the day. I desire to hear his voice and see him work, but my time in the Word becomes hurried and distracted any time life gets too busy.

If I want to see God move, I must train my eyes to be aware of it.

I must use the tools he’s made available to me. Watching and listening for his answer to prayer and his presence in my life. If I want his Spirit to be palpable in my life, I create an environment where He thrives.

In 2015, I expect to see God move, and I don’t want to miss it. One of our most famous hymns, Amazing Grace, says,

I once was blind, but now I see.

But do we really see? Or are we still blind to what God is doing right here, right now?

As I sat pondering the word I would choose to focus on in 2015, the answer became obvious. The word I’ve chosen for next year is “see.” This is a theme God is speaking over and over into my life.

My prayer is that God will give me eyes to see the things that are of the Spirit. I want to be able to discern the earthly from the heavenly, the temporary from the eternal.

I pray that I will have peace during the bends in the road where I cannot see, trusting the One who goes before me and knowing He has not chosen to reveal those pieces of the journey to me yet. And during moments which are foggy may my heart remember that in this life, we will only know in part, but one day we will know in full.

As I embark on this next leg of the race, I remember the words Jesus gave to the first disciples when they left everything they knew to follow him. They asked him a question but he only gave a partial answer. Where are you staying?

To this, Jesus simply replied,

Come and see. (John 1:39 NLT)

I believe he gives us the same invitation every day. While we may not always know where we’re going or what the future will hold, the invitation is always the same.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what’s next.

 

*Linking up on Wednesday with Kelly Balarie and Friends, Meredith Bernard, and Jennifer Dukes Lee to encourage and be encouraged. Come join us.