An early riser, I crept around quietly in the Kure Beach condo trying to keep from awakening the others in my family.  With Bible, devotional books, and coffee in hand, I sat down at the kitchen table and began my morning quiet time with God.

I silently prayed, “Lord, what would you have me share with your children during our family devotions this morning?”

My first thoughts came from Joni Eareckson Tada’s book, Pearls of Great Price.  “Find time today to get outside, even if you have to wrap up warmly. . .Take in the beauty around you. . . Be still before God in wordless worship.”

Her focal passage: “Let All the earth be silent before him.”  (Hab. 2:20 NLT)

The meditation from Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling next caught my attention.  “Try to view each day as an adventure, carefully planned out by your Guide. . . A life lived close to Me will never be dull or predictable.  Expect each day to contain surprises.”

Wow!  What about a Scavenger Hunt—a search for “God moments” and miracles in unusual places or situations!

When I shared the two meditations at breakfast, I couldn’t tell if my audience was really listening, but I challenged them anyway to be alert to unusual ways they saw God at work during the day and report back any special “God moments” the following morning—to “Be still and know that I am God.”  (Psalm 46:10 NLT)

Bundled up in heavy coats and gloves, we spent the morning learning the history of Fort Fisher and observing a Civil War reenactment.  During the afternoon, we walked on the beach, played shuffleboard, warmed up in the hot tub.  During the evening we cooked seafood and played games at my grandson Luke’s and his wife Hayley’s apartment.   It was a very pleasant day for a winter beach trip.

I was tired and headed to bed early—something I later regretted.

Sunday morning quiet time arrived.  Jesus Always led me to Psalm 139, a favorite psalm that emphasizes the omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence of God and his unending love for us—his creation.

Umm!  A light bulb moment!   Asking my family to look for “God moments” had been very shortsighted. Since God is all-knowing and everywhere, there is no place where He cannot be found!  Miracles abound all around us if we just open our senses!

When we reassembled for breakfast and family devotions, I was eager to hear their reports of special encounters with God, but I was also anxious to tell them of my new insights.

One by one they shared their “God moments”—walking by the ocean and observing afresh the many colors of blue in the water and the sky, watching the glorious sunset off Fort Fisher, walking barefoot in cold, wet, sand and experiencing God’s “grounding,” listening anew to the power of the crashing waves, staring in amazement at the trees that have literally grown at a near 45 degree angle because of the wind.

All agreed, however, that the most unusual “moment” had occurred about midnight—after I had gone to bed–when Lauren, my granddaughter, and her boyfriend, Nick, heard a noise below our deck.  On inspection, they discovered three deer searching for food—an unusual spectacle indeed in a resort area right on the beach. Jeff, my son who is well acquainted with deer, commented that it was the largest doe he had ever seen.  The others agreed.

Deer sightings, I might add, are special in our family.   On more than one occasion they have showed up in unusual places and under unusual circumstances—almost as if God sends them to us as a reminder that He gives power to the weak and is our source of strength in difficult times.

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.” (Hab.  3:19 NLT)

After each witness to the unusual deer sighting had had an opportunity to comment, I asked them to listen as Lauren read Psalm 139 and reflect on their “assignment” once again.

“I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.” Psalm 139:7-10 NLT

“If God is everywhere, why are we often so unaware of him and his activities?” I asked.  “Why do we notice only the unusual or spectacular?  Why don’t we recognize his presence in things we see every day?”

Their responses mirrored my own thoughts:  We are too self-absorbed to see him and his works.  His miracles are all around us, but we take them for granted.  We just don’t pay attention.

The conversation finally turned to our previous day’s visit to Fort Fisher—the site of the last major naval battle of the Civil War—and to two more sobering questions, “What ‘God moments’ did the soldiers experience as they fought and tried to kill each other?”  And, on the other hand, “What was God doing?  What was He thinking when the peace and tranquility of this beautiful place was interrupted by cannons and gunfire?”

Approximately 500 men were killed, wounded, or maimed in the battle.  Many on both sides of the conflict were no doubt Christians who thought they were doing what was right.  How did they see, hear and experience God’s presence in those wretched hours?

Our conclusion:  God was there in January 1865  just as He is every day—doing what only God can do—binding up the broken-hearted, welcoming sons into heaven, and grieving over the pain, struggles, and sins of his children.  The men engaged in the battle probably experienced Him just as we do today—Comforter, Savior, Divine Physician, Lord.

Our challenge in January 2018:   To become more aware of his presence in the routine, every day events as well as in the spectacular by allowing Him to burst into our reality and reveal Himself to us—to open our eyes, ears, and hearts to Him in the many ways He speaks to us.

In the meantime, I can’t help but hum an old hymn written in 1895 by Clara Scott.  Perhaps it would be a wonderful prayer for all of us:

“Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!”

What about you?  What “God moments” and new insights have you experienced recently that you would like to share?  Your comments are always welcome!