Look Up
By Peggy Kleckner
“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of
the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
Genesis 1:2
(NIV)
Has your life been like that lately?
You know, formless or empty or dark? Maybe you feel like nothing is making
sense. Maybe everything that you thought made sense - - suddenly doesn’t.
You thought you knew the direction
you wanted to take, or even the direction you thought God wanted you to take,
and suddenly you found yourself in a desolate place. Sort of like you turned the page in a book
and a new story started, and then you were left wondering what happened to the
story you were reading. Where have the characters gone? Did I miss something?
Am I missing some pages? Now what?
Or perhaps there has been an abrupt
change: a death of a loved one, an unexpected job loss, a medical diagnosis.
These things can bring the curtain down in our lives, and we suddenly
experience deep darkness. It is easy to forget what we know and Who we know in
those formless, empty, dark places. It is easy to begin to run in search of a
way out, to scream blame, or to expect rescue. Essentially, it is easy to give
way to panic and fear.
What if we stopped and waited in
this new place and looked up? What if we started to ask what He is doing and
bowed to His will and His direction? What if we believed and looked up in
search of the Spirit of God hovering over the waters of our lives? What if we
saw this place not as an ending or an interruption, but a genesis…a beginning,
a birth place?
The next line of Scripture reads:
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
We serve a God who is sovereign over
darkness and light. I think we forget that sometimes. If the lights have gone
out, don’t panic. God is preparing the next scene, and His character never
changes. He is faithful. He is compassionate. His mercies never fail. Stop,
turn toward Him, lift up your eyes and look. He will reveal Himself in His
timing, not on your command.
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
Are you struggling with some formless, empty or dark places in your life
at present? Are you willing to share those concerns with someone in God’s
family so they can help you look up?
2. Have you walked through some deep ravines in
life? Are you willing to testify to others in God’s family that He was
faithful? Are you willing to comfort others with the comfort you yourself have
received?
FURTHER
READING:
Peggy is a wife and mother of four
adult children - - two sons and two stepsons, and is an active encourager at
Oakwood Church in Delafield.
