Why didn’t anybody tell me about East Beach in Watch Hill? My wife—who is a bit obsessed with finding sea glass—brought me here today as I write this. I’ve lived in Rhode Island for over twenty years and have explored the tiny state through and through. Or so I thought. I’ve actually been to Watch Hill many times but somehow missed this beautiful beach.
As I was walking along the beach taking in the huge crashing waves (the wind was 19 miles an hour today) I was talking to the Lord about my MLK Sunday message. It was hard to focus my prayers because the scene was so breathtaking. I kept wondering how in the world I’ve been in Rhode Island for all these years and yet have missed something this spectacular?
Then I realized maybe the Spirit highlighted this in my mind to illustrate a principle. So I went back to the car and started writing. Did I leave my wife out there? Yes. It was freezing but she doesn’t seem to feel the cold when she’s looking for sea glass. And she also has no sense of time. As for me, a nice little 30 minute walk was enough. Here’s the idea.
It’s possible to be a Christian for many years and yet miss so much of the wonderland of God’s heart.
Searching
Everyone is different, I know, but many of us are creatures of habit. We tend toward ruts. We nestle into a set way of thinking. With our faith, we learn a few good rituals that we become so routined in that we can do them without thinking and without heart.
I’m convinced that there are treasures in Christ to be found if we will search for them. But we have to break out of what we always do. It’s not that our normal routines are bad but if we are going to discover new territories in the Promised Land of God’s heart we can’t always look in the same place, in the same way. Consider the wisdom of Proverbs urging us to search with intensity:
My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. —Proverbs 2:1-5
Back to my wife, Tiffany, and her sea glass obsession, she never just goes out to one of her regular spots just to do it. She’s not content to go to the same spot over and over if she isn’t finding sea glass, or if she isn’t finding new and different sea glass. When she comes back from one of her explorations without finding anything she is determined to find a better spot. She’s always trying a new spot. She doesn’t always succeed in the new spot but sometimes she does. About a week ago she came home with a giant gorgeous piece!
Taste and see
To take this illustration further, the reason she keeps pushing out into new territory is that she has occasionally found amazing pieces. The possibility of finding another one—or an even better one!—drives her. The psalmist said, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” The more we taste of God the more we want to go deeper.
My simple encouragement to you today is to try something different. By different I mean try praying in a different way or in a different location. I’m not trying to mess up your good routines. Maybe you get up in the morning, get your coffee and go to the same place in your house. Maybe you read the Bible for 30 minutes and then write a prayer. This is good. Consistency is good. But try something out of the ordinary. Here are a few suggestions.
Go for a drive in the country and cry out loudly to God. If you don’t normally write prayers try writing a letter to God. Go to a busy place nearby like a mall or city center, plant yourself on a bench, and in your mind pray for individuals you see one by one. If you normally sit at a table for devotions get on your knees. If you usually pray in your mind pray out loud. Get out into the woods of a nearby field and talk to God about the things you see with your eyes that He has made. You get the idea :)
What I’m saying is that most of us are like a man who lives in a land overflowing with hundreds of varieties of lush fruits and vegetables. But his routine is to go to the end of his path each day, pick a small basket of berries, and then return home. Now we might call this man blessed because he’s so content, but in the kingdom of God, our Father does not want us to settle for a basket of berries! The heart of God is to be explored!
Common story
I think it’s interesting that so many people have the story that they were Christians for many years but then something happened to open up a whole new realm of beauty and awe. They may have been good Christians, faithful Christians, knowledgeable Christians—but something changed. They entered into a certain depth with God. Conversations with the Father became intimate. They began to see eternity. Streams of living water began to well up within them. Everything became more real. Job described his story like this:
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes. —Job 42:5-6
Nobody on the planet knew God like Moses did in his day. He had seen mighty miracles and God spoke to him the way a man talks with a friend. But even after all of it he still pined for more and prayed, “Please show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18). And God did!
There isn’t one magic thing that opens us to new realms. It may be different for each of us. My heart today is to challenge you to keep searching for more. Be thankful for what you have, of course, but keep hungering and thirsting to experience God in new and fresh ways. Try something new. There’s more.