My wife, Robyn, and I recently returned from an epic adventure. We boarded a ship in Hawaii and sailed through most of the north Pacific up to Vancouver. After one night in Vancouver, we boarded another ship and sailed the inland passage in Alaska. Upon disembarking our second ship, we boarded a train which then carried us 10 hours north through the mainland to Denali National Park. And finally, we caught a bus from Denali to Fairbanks, Alaska. Throughout our travels, we had a lot of time on our hands. Much of that time was spent scanning the horizon, looking for signs of wildlife.
I think we struggle to see where and how God is working and moving in our world for the same reason many struggled to see wildlife on our trip; we aren’t putting in the time, energy, and attention to look for it.
While on the first ship, we met a naturalist named Simon. Simon had been hired by the cruise line to provide what they called “enrichment opportunities,” which is just a veiled way of saying academic lectures. We loved the lectures! They were incredibly relevant to our trip. Two of Simon’s lectures were entitled Birds of Hawaii and Mammals of the North Pacific. The best part was that Simon invited all of his audience to join him out on deck to look for the very birds and mammals he’d told us about. We took him up on his invitation and he taught us where to look and what to look for out across the horizon. With his help, we started seeing whale spouts in the distance, pods of porpoises swimming in the middle-distance, small birds hovering over the waves, and large birds soaring overhead.
The train ride provided us with opportunities to expand our skills by looking for land animals. We were hoping to see Alaska’s “Big Five:” moose, caribou, Dall sheep, brown and black bears, and wolves. Our guide tried to temper our expectations, explaining that wildlife is in fact wild and does not always show up. She further noted that moose, in particular, never seemed to show up when she was present. I took that as a personal challenge and immediately began scanning the hills and forests with all the attention my eyes could muster. Almost immediately, I saw some brown shapes in the distance, but I couldn’t be sure what I was seeing. I quietly brought the shapes to Robyn’s attention, asking what she thought. As we got closer, my suspicions were confirmed. As instructed, I pointed in the direction of what I was seeing and yelled, “MOOSE!!!” There, in the distance, were not one, not two, but three moose! Thus began a day of me learning my true calling in life, spotting wildlife and pointing it out to fellow passengers. On that 10 hour ride, we saw a black bear, a caribou, several Dall sheep, and more moose than I could count.
During our time in Fairbanks, we discovered a wildlife sanctuary that boasted a diversity of migratory birds, most notably Sandhill Cranes. We met a nature photographer in the visitor’s center who told us about a Hawk Owl that had been showing up in the area. We came back the next afternoon hoping to practice our nature spotting skills and see one. Almost immediately, we saw an oddly shaped bird perched high in a tree. We peeked through our binoculars and, sure enough, there it was.
We want and often expect some grand spectacle or incredible experience, but God is working and moving in subtle ways.
Those who were with us on our adventure continually asked me how I kept spotting the various wildlife. I didn’t have a profound answer for them. There were no special tricks for me to pass along. I just focused my time, energy, and attention on looking intently for what I hoped to see. Literally every creature we made the effort to look for on our trip, we found.
It brought to mind the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:7-8. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” I think we struggle to see where and how God is working and moving in our world for the same reason many struggled to see wildlife on our trip; we aren’t putting in the time, energy, and attention to look for it. Much like the creatures He has created, God isn’t putting on a performance for humanity. He’s doing what it is that He does. We want and often expect some grand spectacle or incredible experience, but God is working and moving in subtle ways. He is gently disturbing the waters in the distance, rustling the leaves on the periphery, or weaving through the proverbial clouds in the sky. Whatever the case, He is there. He is working and moving in accordance with the purposes of His perfect plan. If we will but keep our eyes open and look for evidence of His activity, we’ll be sure to find what we’re looking for.
