What Was It Like?

What was it like

What Was It Like?

What was it like? There are times people will ask us to tell how we felt about something we experienced. I remember well the drive from Colorado to Kentucky after we received the devastating news of the death of our twenty-six-year-old son. The pelting rain matched the tears that flowed from my eyes and dropped onto my then tear-wet soaked clothes. The dismal, grey sky matched the dull feeling in my heart. With miles behind me and miles before me to reach a destination to which I did not want to go under these circumstances, my heart broke. Then it happened. The clouds began to part and a bright double rainbow formed in the direction I was headed. The rain remained behind as I focused on what was ahead. I noticed the presence of God within me as I sat in my car, eyes not only on the road but on the rainbow. My feelings of desperation started to transform allowing the comfort of God’s Spirit in me to bring a deep peace. When people talked to me about the long trip, all I could say, was, “God showed up big time. God took my deepest grief and brought peace even to this day, I don’t completely understand.”

Recently I saw something on Facebook that took me back to the rainbow, the blue sky, and the overwhelming peace I received. It reminded me that oftentimes God shows up mightily in ways we cannot imagine. Here’s the quote:
When we get to heaven and ask Moses what it was like to part the Red Sea, or ask David what it was like to slay Goliath, they will turn to us and ask, “What was it like to have the Holy Spirit Himself living inside of you?”

What was it like? How do you explain what it’s like to have God’s Spirit alive in you? It’s a question we each might answer differently but generally it’s a silent voice, an awareness of God’s peace and presence that influences everything about our lives, including God’s provision and amazing grace. It’s a feeling of hope always present.

Moses and David, and so many others whose backs were up against possible devastation didn’t always have the privilege of God’s presence, but God showed up when it appeared all hope was lost. That’s what God does. God shows up. Whether it’s through a rainbow, the unexpected solution only God can find to a problem, a peace amid deep loss or pain, or a newfound hope when the future seems hopeless, God’s presence is always with us.

My prayer is that God’s abundant peace will surround you and surprise you as you journey through both good times and hard times. If God can part the Red Sea, allow a small stone to kill a giant, turn flowing tears into peace beyond understanding, God can—and will–show up when we open our eyes and our hearts to what He has for us.

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