Sydney came bounding into our room. It was barely six o’clock in the morning, and she had so much to say already. It was summertime, and the sun had broken through the clouds early (much too early for this mom who was still nursing a baby throughout the night). Sydney was a brand new four-year-old, and was enjoying her newfound “maturity” and her first few days of vacation.
On this slow morning as she burst through our bedroom door, there was something of particular interest that she was dying to share with us. She explained that when she woke up and peeked out of her window, the sky was bright and pink. “Pink!” she said, “The whole sky was pink…my favorite color!” She went on, “Mommy, God was shining down on me this morning. He shined down on me in pink.”
Profound words from such a young thing. I affirmed to her that God was certainly shining down on her, and how marvelous that he did it in her favorite color. He is the God of details.
Have you ever walked through a dark season of life? You know- the kind of season that tests your faith, questions your trust, and breaks your heart? I’ve been through a few of those. In fact, I have been trudging through a sort of wilderness season on and off for about six years. Sometimes the challenges – financial, relational, or spiritual - loom heavy, and so my heart is weighted down to the deep places. Sometimes it’s simply maneuvering through parenting obstacles where I feel completely inadequate.
Regardless of what kind of wilderness I’m facing, I find that I come to the end of myself quite frequently. I need a drink of water or warm sunshine on my face – anything to revive and reignite the spirit to keep pressing on. I’ll read the Word, put it to memory, pray (or more like wail before God). There is nothing like a desert experience to remind us of just how much our bodies crave the Living Water.
Sometimes…when I’m tired, drained to the core, and feeling broken, I have asked what many others have asked, too: “God, are you really even there?”
Sometimes…He remains silent. He doesn’t answer back the way I wish he would. He withholds communication for a little while. He doesn’t show up in the sermon on Sunday or the teaching at Bible study. It appears as if he has turned his back. And while I want to throw in the towel, surrender to the desert, and build a sand castle, I remember that God is in control.
I press on.
This is faith in action.
Yet…sometimes…God brings a little relief in the desert. He leads us to springs where we can drink up peace and refreshment. He answers a simple prayer or brings a comforting word at just the right moment. He leans in a little closer and warms those places in our hearts that have, perhaps, grown cold.
Sometimes he shines down on us in rays of pink sunlight.
He shines down to remind us that we are not forgotten, he knows where we are, and he is with us.
Today I have felt the warmth of God’s hand on my life in a very powerful way. Today God is shining down on me. Today I am grateful for the spring in the desert that waters my soul.
We wish we could define the desert. We wish there was a way to outrun the wilderness. We long to bypass it altogether. However, God knows the purpose behind these seasons, and he is never far from us. His love confounds. His ways an eternal mystery.
And just when we think that the darkness will surely envelop us, he shines his light into our souls. He lifts us up. He satisfies our thirst. He proves his faithfulness.
And we know we’ve been seen. We know God is here.
Psalm 145:13-19
The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open up your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.