Day 241- A Locust First

Today, Joel and I were outside playing.  If you read the blog about the cat a few days back, you may have predicted what I was doing today. I was watching Joel play on the roof. He loves it up there. I was looking for a "first" and Joel had several ideas. He came up with transplanting a tree and baptizing the cat. I chose against those ideas.

While he was playing, I could hear locusts in the trees next to our house.  I looked up locust on the Internet and most of what they term locust is what I always called a grasshopper.  I'm not real sure if this is a locust or not, but that's the best I know.  Anyway, after listening to them for a bit while Joel played on the roof, I decided to see if I could find one.  I went locust hunting for my "first" today.

I really did not have much confidence that I could actually find one. I've heard them many times in the past but I've never actually tried to find one by listening to the sound and following it.  I have seen their used shells before. I walked out toward the noise and they went quiet on me. I heard them in a different place and went that way.  As I listened and moved around, I did actually see a few. They were flying high up in the pine trees.  Joel got down off the roof and I asked him if he had ever seen a locust. He did not know that the noise he was hearing was a locust.  We walked out and he saw a few as well. It would have been extra cool if we could have caught one.  Alas, they were all high up in the trees.  The only time we could see them was when they flew from one tree to the next. I did have the thought that I could get my shotgun and try to shoot one, but it was close to dark and I decided I'd maybe save that for another day.

I really did not think I would see a locust when I walked out there.  Since they were flying around, I did get to see some.  This reminded me of the verse (Matthew 7:7) that says, "Seek and you shall find."  There are some things that God will allow us to see if we will seek after them. Of course, the context here is that we are seeking things that are God's will.  The grammar of the Greek verb used there could literally be translated "seek and keep on seeking."  It denotes a continual action.  If we are willing to seek continually after God and His purposes, we will be privileged to see some pretty amazing things.  God may allow you to see things like:

• Someone come to faith in Christ
• Huge answered prayer
• God working in your life to set you free from a debilitating sin
• God bringing providential friendships into your life
• God putting you somewhere to meet someone else's urgent financial need
• God working through you to help someone else get to know Jesus better
• Someone speaking a word into your life that you know had to be God speaking.
• Someone getting healed
• Helping someone get free of depression or anxiety
• Having a marriage that is so full of joy that you are continually thanking God for your spouse

These are the kinds of things that just cause me to stop and say, "Wow, God!"  I love those moments. They sure happen more when I am seeking God first than they do when I'm living selfishly and self-centered.

Seek after God.  Watch for those things that only God can do.  You might even find yourself saying, "Wow, God."  I'd love that!

Glad for the "Wow, God" moments in the abundant life
Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. Providential meetings
2. God letting us see things that cause us to say, "Wow, God!"
3. We are not in a plague of locusts