Wilderness Experience - Peter Ikeda

Tonight I was over at a friend's house discussing God and things about our walk while doing my laundry. She introduced me to a book about God's unending love for us and the first section of the first chapter discussed our interaction with God. It talked about how when we communicate with God it's usually just us talking and praying a lot to him without ever just soaking up God's glorious presence. This point resounded in me and caused me to ask myself how many times I began praying or talking with God simply by talking about things, problems, requests, and so many other trivial things that I never really stopped just to enjoy being with God and holding his love steadfast. I mean I just read James 1:19 which calls for "every man to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" and although I have applied this to my earthly life and relationships why had I never applied this to the most important relationship of all?? So after our discussion I had to walk back to JR, about midnight, by myself and as I was walking back I was reminded of the book and what it said. So out of mere spontaneity I put down my laundry, closed my eyes, and took in the Lord. I listened to the sounds of creation: the chirping of crickets, the subtle whistling of an autumn breeze, the crunching of leaves... it was all so serene, almost poetic. I looked around me and took in all of nature, all of God's creation to behold a beautiful autumn night the Creator had made. It caused me to remember all that he had done from Creation and the fall of man to our redemption through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. This calm, brisk setting had somehow moved my spirit in a way it had never been moved. As cheesy as it is the scene almost brought me to my knees in utter awe of how powerful nature could be as it directly represents the Lord in his full glory. To think about photosynthesis, the patterns of the moon, the change of seasons, it was all so overwhelming that my spirit was just overflowing with joy as I felt God in this place. No word was said nor was one needed. It was out of the quietness of nature that I heard God speak clearly "I am God and I love you."