Five Insights From One Hour with God

I love acorns. I found one a few years ago during a solitude walk up in the mountains.

I am always amazed by a beautiful little acorn, especially when it has a cap on it. So cute. It is amazing to me that an oak tree grows from something so small.

As I held the acorn in my hand and pondered its ability and power to grow an oak tree, it led to this thought, “You have the power within to do what is next.” A nice encouragement from God. (Eph. 3:20-21) 

As I walked further through the forest, I enjoyed the lovely aroma of freshly washed nature. It had rained that morning and, in fact, it rained on me during my walk. 

I came upon a large pine cone. It had opened itself, released its seeds and was now hard and brittle. Its next stage would be decay. 

As I stared at the pine cone, I thought, “You’ll have to open up to release the seeds of new growth. What is keeping you from opening today? What might be your next step?” (John 12:24)

Next, I encountered a large pine tree. Right in front of it was a large stump from what was likely a larger tree. I stared at the two stages of the trees for a bit. 

Upon reflection, I thought, “Whether you feel like a large, mighty pine or you feel like you’ve been cut down to a stump…there is grace for the next leg of your process. What might that look like?” (2 Cor. 12:9)

Further along the path, I came upon a couple of huge rocks leaning up against each other. There was a little hiding place between them. 

 I remembered, “Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.” (Psalm 71:3)

I finally arrived at another large rock where I could sit and take in the view. I enjoyed the quiet presence of God. Rain fell and I basked in the moment. (Psalm 46:10) 

Looking at the photo just above – If you could sit there and enjoy that view, what would you think about? What questions would you ask? Or would there simply be silence and companionship?

Afterward, I summarized what I learned from all of my encounters with God in nature:

• There is greatness within.
• Open and release to grow.
• You are beautiful and useful at any stage.
• Take refuge in your Rock. You are always welcome.
• Ponder. Be. Experience. Rest. It’s OK.

Wonderful gifts from God. Words of life. All of this in a one-hour, leisurely walk with God. It doesn’t take a lot of time, if you are open.

It is not surprising that God would speak through nature. Jesus shared insights into the Kingdom with stories of birds, flowers, seeds, grapevines, trees and more.

When might you be able to schedule some time like this? I bet you would enjoy such a soul-filling experience. Take a nature bath and let God meet you in creation.

Adapted from a blog dated November 2, 2016.

Photo by Michal Vrba on Unsplash