Thursday, Jan. 28: God, where are You?

On my hikes, I often seek out the lakes where I can take photos of the reflection in the water. Sometimes, the colors in the water are even more vibrant than the ones being reflected. Yet when the wind ripples the water, the reflection disappears. It has nothing to do with the depth of the water, as only the surface is affected by the wind. That reminds me of the old adage, “Still waters run deep,” describing that there is much more beneath the surface of a quiet exterior. While those who quietly and introspectively go through life, pretentious people point to themselves in every action, desiring the attention of others in order to make themselves feel important. It points to pride, and according to the Bible,


18 Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Proverbs 16:18-19 (NKJV)


Pride was the reason for the fall of Satan, and is certainly the downfall of every man. In Greek mythology, Narcissus fell in love with a reflection in a pool, not knowing that it was his own. Unable to walk away from that beauty, he perished there. Instead of trying to see our own faces in the reflection, we should look for the face of God, our Creator, who can’t take His eyes off His creation!


The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
Psalms 23:1-2 (NKJV)


Those still waters are a place of sustenance and a place of peace. When you are hot and tired, there’s nothing that tastes better than a cool drink of water. When Elijah ran from Jezebel and found himself exhausted and depleted far from home in a cave, the Lord came to him, nourished him and restored him. All around Elijah was tumult: an earthquake, fire and a powerful wind.


11 Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD. ' And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
1 Kings 19:11-12 (NKJV)


When the tumult subsided, Elijah heard the still, small voice. It is in those times beside the still waters that we see the Lord, feel His presence and hear His voice. That’s pretty difficult to do in our bustling world, where we find difficulty existing without a television blaring, an IPOD keeping our ears occupied, or a computer eating more time than we ever realized. Do you want to hear God’s voice? Read His Word, but don’t forget what He said,


10 Be still, and know that I am God;
Psalms 46:10 (NKJV)


It takes that stillness to see His reflection, and know He has never left your side. Even with the ripples, He was there. You just couldn’t see Him!