I’m writing this at dusk on Sunday afternoon looking out my window at the beautiful thick snow clinging to the trees. Isn’t God wonderful? There are so many things in creation and life that point to God. In a very real sense, what we are looking at when we see creation is the art of God, the handiwork of the Creator. And you can learn a lot about a person by looking at what they create.
In our pursuit of God, we often look to the Scriptures as the primary way of knowing God. This is wise since the Bible is, in fact, given to us by God to reveal who He is. But even the Scriptures tell us that what has been made can speak out the excellencies of the Lord.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth … — Psalm 19:1-4
Pursuit of the inexhaustible
The aim of our pursuit of God is not to just find God the way one might, say, find a rare piece of vintage Pyrex that, well, you just find and then have it—you either have found it or you have not found it. The pursuit of God is different. It’s like pursuing something inexhaustible, like knowledge or beauty. God is infinite so we can search for Him for eternity and never find all of Him!
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" — Romans 11:33-34
Let’s get existential
Take a step back for a moment. Where are you? You are in a particular space at a particular point in time. The space you are in is likely a house, in a place called America, on a planet called earth, in a galaxy called the Milky Way, surrounded by hundreds of billions (maybe trillions) of galaxies together that we call the universe.
We are on this little ball of dirt called earth which spins on its axis at about 1000 miles per hour (give or take depending on your exact location). And at the same time, we are soaring around the sun at 67,000 miles per hour. It’s like one of those dizzying Ferris wheel rides at the amusement park where the tiny bubble you are seated in is spinning at the same time as you go up to the sky and back down in a circular motion. I feel sick thinking about it :/
I’m pretty sure all of us were born in the last 100 years. For me, 1967. We just kind of appear. I know there’s more to it that involves men and women, eggs and sperm, pregnancy and birth. But from a philosophical standpoint we just kind of appear. I mean, where was I before 1967? I guess—an idea in God’s mind? I don’t even remember the nine months in my mom’s womb (or do I?). The first few years after being born are a blur. But at some point—I think very young—we start realizing we exist.
The pursuit begins
I think this is when our pursuit of God begins. We start trying to piece together the world. If you haven’t noticed, some of the deepest philosophical people are 4-6 year olds. They ask deep questions like “Who made me?” and “Why can’t we see God?” and “What happens after we die?” and “What is God like?” I think that last question captures the curiosity of every human being. We can’t help but think about it.
Of course, some try not to think about it. Maybe because they tried to figure it out and found it’s not so simple. Others are just scared to think about it or afraid that they’ll discover God requires certain things of them. Many just latch onto someone else’s idea of what God is like and don’t think it through for themselves. There are some—you and I—however, who quest to know God throughout our lives more and more.
We’ve had that existential moment, maybe at 4 or 24 or 64 or 84 and realized we were made by God, and are on God’s earth spinning and racing through the universe, and that we are definitely going to die, and that we will inevitably return back to God who made us. It seems totally logical, sensible—and urgent!—to be devoted to the pursuit of knowing the One behind the curtain.
And that’s why you and I are here, on this 100 day pursuit. We are looking for God. In some ways, we’ve found Him, of course, but in another sense “we still haven’t found what we’re looking for” (U2).
Where is God found?
So where does one find God? If we are going to find Him then we have to know where He’s hiding. It’s not like He lives in a house on the water and we can just pay Him a visit. Kind of like a treasure hunt the Lord spreads clues about who He is in a variety of places. Or we could think of it like puzzle pieces hidden that we collect and piece together until the picture of God is seen. We don’t find God in one place. And we don’t find Him in one hunt. It’s a lifetime of searching and piecing it together.
But where can we find Him? If we have eyes to see—we see Him everywhere! Again, the Scriptures are where we find the greatest riches of the knowledge of God. So much of Scripture is God talking. We learn so much about a person by just being with them and listening to them talk.
We find God in the church as the eclectic blend of redeemed souls, together, create a vision of Christ. It’s like each one brings a unique perspective of Christ so that when joined together it becomes a multi-layered vision.
We find God in our inner being, first, through the conscience the Lord put in us, but then, by the indwelling Spirit. We hear His whispers, that “still small voice.” As we hear His impressions in all different contexts we learn how He thinks. But He not only makes His thoughts known, He shares His feelings. At times we feel what He feels and in that way understand Him better.
It’s been said that “we find God in the faces of the poor.” Perhaps certain key puzzle pieces cannot be found in prayer and Bible study. Or even the Church. There’s something about being with the “least of these” that brings a manifestation of Christ’s compassion.
We see parts of God in times of blessing but we see other parts of God only in times of suffering. Not that we should seek suffering, but when suffering comes along, we would be looking for the Lord.
Things made
This brings me full circle back to finding God in creation. I’ve never met a 4-year-old atheist. It’s because kids are wide-eyed, taking in the glory of creation all around them. They see the fingerprints of the Creator everywhere. They hold a sense of wonder and awe about the universe and the One who holds it all together.
You know it’s important to spend time shut away in prayer. And we need to read the Word and participate in church life. These are basics. But don’t forget to look for God in what is right in front of you—in the things that have been made!
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. — Romans 1:19-20
Yes, the world is marred by sin but we can still see the marks of God. It’s like in art when we view sculptures or paintings that have been decayed or damaged. Our imagination enables us to still see the glory of what was made. May we open our eyes to see the glory of God in—
Squirrels playing
The crackle of a fire
A burning pink sunset
The taste of fresh basil
A towering mountain
A harmony of voices
Starry skies
An ant carrying a giant crumb
A fish with a funny face
A silky pillow for our tired head
A lovely conversation with mom
Ocean waves crashing over your feet
A toddler digging her palm into the sand
The wind rustling in the leaves
This list could keep going, and if we each made one, and put them all together—it would be longer than a thousand CVS receipts!
Today, look for God all around you. Every time you see something that declares the glory of God, acknowledge it. In other words, in your own words—in the quiet of your heart, or, I guess you could do it out loud—tell God what you see. I often do this by saying the word, “Wow.” Sometimes I say, “Wow, God.” When you see even a small thing, that is a lovely thing, that could only be a thing, if God made that thing possible—pause and praise. Maybe you could say, “I see You in this, Lord,” or, “Thank you for giving us that.” You get the idea. It’ll help you to begin to see God all over the place right in your everyday life.