Some people can name the date and place when they first acknowledged their belief in God. They divide their lives like the Gregorian calendar into BC and AD: before and after a specific, life altering event. Not so for me. I’ve experienced the presence of God as far back as I can remember. Granted, I possessed a wholehearted child-like faith in the beginning that matured over time. But it was faith just the same. In my reality, God was active and present even before my birth.
This may sound a bit crazy to many but the Bible is clear about the validity of this claim. In Psalm 139, King David writes about God’s hand on his life while he was still in the womb.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:15-16 NIV
Whether we perceive it or not, God gently pursues us, woos us like a potential suitor, moving us to acknowledge him. He calls to us through the whisper of the wind and the babbling brook. He nudges our heart, encouraging us to care for our neighbor. Through other people, he invites us to work along side him in his mission to save the world. His pursuit is never demanding nor manipulative yet it is persistent.
The first time I recall his gentle invitation, I was only four. We lived in an old farmhouse with a dark stairway up to our bedrooms. That particular day, my mother sent me upstairs for a time out. I don’t remember what I did to deserve punishment but with vivid detail, I recall climbing the scary stairs by myself.
As I reached the top, something urged me to sit and pray. I folded my small hands together and asked God to help convince my mother to forgive me. A sense of comfort surrounded me like a warm blanket. At that moment, my mother came up the stairs with a smile on her face. “Are you ready to come down?” she asked. My heart swelled with gratitude. Was this answered prayer or coincidence? All that mattered was my recognition that God cared for little me. Since then he’s never stopped his pursuit for my heart.
Even so, the busyness and worries of this world tend to block my awareness of God’s presence. At those times, I overlook his voice calling me through nature. I brush past his nudges urging me to seek his will for my life. But when I purposefully slow down, listen and look for signs of his Spirit, a wholehearted child-like faith returns. I discover God once more, active and present every day of my life whether I perceive him or not.
The Lord’s love never ends; his mercies never stop. They are new every morning; Lord, your loyalty is great. I say to myself, “The Lord is mine, so I hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to those who seek him.
Lamentations 3:22-25 NCV
